


On The Ground

by LexAlexAU



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Blood and Violence, Canon - TV, Canonical Character Death, Character Development, Commander Lexa, F/F, Flashbacks, Fluff and Angst, Grounder Spinoff, Heda Lexa, Lexa Spinoff, Lostia, Mentors, Pre-Canon, Romance, The Conclave
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-23
Updated: 2016-09-23
Packaged: 2018-08-16 19:55:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 30
Words: 37,639
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8115418
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LexAlexAU/pseuds/LexAlexAU
Summary: This story follows the life of Lexa years before The 100 ever touched ground, and illustrates her rise to Commander. Get a glimpse into her life before she claims the mantle of Heda, and witness the events that shaped her into the character we loved. Follow her on her journey through training, her conclave, her ascension, and through the trials and tribulations faced in every day life On The Ground.





	1. Chapter 1

"Lexa." The voice was far away, as if shouting from a great distance. "Lexa, get up!" It came again, closer now and filled with agitation.

Lexa opened her eyes, looking up at the treetops swaying gently in the breeze from the flat of her back. She felt a knot swelling at the base of her skull and the world began to spin and swirl into a blur of colors as she forced herself into a sitting position. Her eyes were green, like the forest, her wild brown hair was pulled into a single braid behind her head, and the welt of an aching bruise was forming just above her cheekbone.

A woman stood over her, wearing an agitated expression and holding out a hand to help haul her to her feet. "What did I teach you?" the woman asked. "Ge smak daun, gyon op nodotaim."

"Get knocked down, get back up," Lexa replied, gripping the handle of her sword tightly as the world stopped spinning around her.

"Good. Now let's go again."

"Yes, Anya."

Lexa squared her stance and readied her guard as she'd done so many times before. She'd been training in all forms of combat since she was a child, and now she was Second to the Trikru leader. Anya was a fierce woman, a warrior, born for battle and bred in blood like so many that had come before her. The twelve clans had been warring for as long as Lexa could remember, and with every sunrise came the promise of new threats and new dangers.

Anya circled her young pupil, her deep brown eyes narrowed and brow furrowed in focus. To an outsider, it would appear that she had a permanent scowl plastered on her face, her features sharp and cheekbones prominent, but Lexa knew better. Anya was tough, hardened, cynical, and at times she could be harsh and even a little frightening, but her thoughts were always towards the safety of her people. The war of the clans had claimed the lives of thousands, but death in battle at the hands of another clan was the least of their worries.

"Keep your guard up," Anya instructed. "Be patient and wait for an opening."

Lexa tracked her leader's movements, adjusting her stance and analyzing any potential weak points in Anya's guard. She spun her sword in her hand, enjoying how easily it flowed with the motion of her wrist, as if it were just an extension of her body. In one effortless motion, she lunged forward, her blade meeting Anya's with a clang that echoed through the tall trees around them.

Their village was located in the middle of the forest where once a great city had stood. After the bombs hit, the city had been leveled, and a hundred years of growth and underbrush had long since covered the remains of the rubble. The world had adapted to the radiation, and the humans and animals along with it. The struggle to survive was the only thing that had ever remained constant.

Lexa blocked a strike from Anya's sword and ducked swiftly out of the way of a punch that had followed. She sidestepped and led her own attack, letting the momentum of her sword carry her forward into her next advance. Her quick blows were deflected in rapid succession, but she managed to land a sharp elbow to Anya's chin that had her stumbling back.

Blood stained Anya's teeth as she smiled at her Second. "Very good, Lexa. Again."

This time it was Anya who attacked first, Lexa bringing her sword up to meet hers in mid swing. The women hovered around each other, exchanging blows and moving together as if engaged in a beautiful, but deadly, dance. Their movements came with ease as they anticipated each other's attacks, and they shifted from offense to defense as if it were nothing more than second nature. Steel clashed against steel again, and Anya sidestepped, forcing Lexa's blade into the dirt as she snapped a heavy backhanded fist to her student's nose.

Lexa recovered quickly, moving herself into position for another attack as she felt the warm tinge of thick blood leak from her nose. Anya stopped, quickly glancing around for any bystanders that had been watching their fight. It was midday; the sun high in the afternoon sky, and the village was bustling with people going about their daily business. The warriors sparred together while the children played in the trees and the elderly tended to the stockpile of dried foods that they'd been storing for the winter. A hunting party had been sent out earlier that morning and should have been returning at any moment with fresh game.

"Wipe the blood from your nose before anyone sees," Anya commanded, sharply.

Lexa brought the back of her sleeve to her face and allowed the dark green fabric to soak up her blood, turning it black as midnight. "You can't keep me hidden from the Flame Keeper forever, Anya," she said, breathing deeply through her nose to staunch the bleeding.

"It doesn't need to be forever. Just until the next conclave."

"I am a Nightblood. I should be in Polis with the rest of the novitiates."

"And you will be, Lexa. There have been two conclaves in your lifetime; one when you were nine, and another when you were fourteen. You would not have survived either of them. I'm just trying to protect you," Anya explained. She ran her fingers through her thick brown hair, a habit that Lexa had noticed whenever her mentor was contemplating a decision or lack thereof.

Lexa sheathed her sword at her hip. "I'm sixteen, Anya. And I am your equal in battle. I'm ready."

"Eagerness is weakness. You must learn patience," she replied, still teaching the girl that she'd mentored since birth. "You may be ready, but I am not ready to lose you yet," she admitted, letting her voice soften.

Lexa felt a faint smile tugging at her lips, but before she could reply, a shout came from the trees behind them. A young man stumbled out of the underbrush; his arms and legs were covered in gashes, blood oozing from the fresh wounds and he was breathing heavily as if he'd just ran for miles. He had the tattoos of a warrior, but they were fresh on his skin like he’d just gotten them the day before, running in thick black bands around his arms and up his neck and skull. His eyes were wild and shifting to the tree line, searching desperately for whatever had been chasing him.

"Lincoln? What is it?" Anya asked, her eyes trained on the trees. Lexa drew her sword again, and readied herself for whatever may have been stalking them.

The young man was gasping for air. He couldn't have been much older than Lexa, but the way he was staring into the trees made him look like a frightened child. "Reapers," he managed to say between breaths. "We were out hunting and they attacked. I am the only one left."

"That's the fourth attack this month," Anya said. "Get back behind the gates, Lincoln. Tend to your wounds."

"We're not going after them?" Lincoln asked.

"No. They belong to the Mountain Men now."

Lincoln looked to Anya, and then to Lexa, questioning but afraid to put voice to his protest, and then his gaze fell back to Anya. He wore an expression of pain and anguish, one that had been all too familiar to the Trikru people. Crestfallen and resigning himself to defeat, he limped slowly into the safety of the village walls.

Lexa stared into the trees, her green eyes hard, as if issuing a challenge to some invisible force just beyond view. "When I am Commander, I will take down the Mountain," she vowed, her voice as cold as winter.

"It would take the armies of all twelve clans to do that," her mentor replied, sheathing her sword.

"Then I will unite all twelve clans."


	2. Chapter 2

Lexa followed Anya through the forest, matching her footfalls in silence step for step. They moved naturally and with ease through the underbrush, making no noise, as if they were nothing more than ghosts among the bases of the trees. Lexa scanned the woods around her, keeping a diligent eye out for movement. It had been two days since the last Reaper attack, but Anya was right, they were becoming far too frequent.

Winter was approaching, and despite the danger of venturing in to the shadow of Mount Weather and the territory of the Mountain Men, they needed to gather food and supplies. Their village would not survive on the meager rations that they had gathered thus far, and with more and more of their warriors being taken, they would not be able to defend themselves if another clan attacked.

"Anya, where are we going?" Lexa asked.

They had set out that morning on the pretense of leading a hunting party, but the way they'd been moving with such speed for the past three hours told Lexa that they were not on the search for food, but rather on a mission of some purpose. Two other warriors followed closely behind them, but the rest of their fighters had remained behind to guard the village. For now, the hunting and scouting parties had been the Reaper's targets, but with the majority of their warriors missing, Lexa knew it was just a matter of time before the village became the Mountain's next objective.

"We cannot survive the winter on our own," Anya replied over her shoulder, her words failing to hide the shame in her voice.

Lexa's pace faltered. Admitting weakness was admitting defeat; it was a lesson that Anya had drilled into her head time and time again. If Anya was acknowledging their weakness now, then the situation was more dire than Lexa had originally thought. 

"We're seeking help?" she asked.

"We do what we must to survive," Anya replied, casting a knowing glance over her shoulder to her young Second. "Indra's village is small, but her warriors are fierce. If we can work together, we will survive the winter, and the Reapers will think twice before targeting us."

Lexa had met Indra once before in a war council. They came from different villages, but they were all Trikru. When the Commander called Trikru to war, the villages marched together. They worked together in times of war, and it was together that they would survive now, in times of desperation. Strength in numbers, Lexa understood this.

"The village is just up ahead," Anya whispered, sheathing her sword.

Lexa and the two other warriors followed their leader's actions, disarming themselves so that they would not appear as a threat to the villagers. Anya moved deliberately now, making as much noise as possible as to draw attention to their arrival. Up ahead, Lexa could see the fence that surrounded the tiny village, tucked in the middle of the trees like a little oasis in the midst of a vast desert.

"Don't take another step!" a voice called. Lexa quickly scanned the trees and picked out the silhouettes of six archers hidden within them, bows trained on their small party. "Announce yourself!" the voice shouted again.

Anya held her arms above her head, showing that they meant no harm. "Onya kom Trikru. We need to speak to Indra," she replied, her voice unwavering and showing no sign of vulnerability.

The forest was silent for a moment, and then the gates of the village before them gently swung open, the wood groaning heavily. A woman emerged; she wore armor strapped across her shoulders and was dressed for battle, but her sword remained sheathed at her side. Her face was covered in deep scars, lines of battle and wisdom etched deep around her eyes. Her skin was a beautiful shade of brown, her black hair cropped short, and she gazed at them intently as if weighing options in her mind.

Lexa's eyes shifted nervously, counting the six archers in the trees and the seven more warriors that stood behind the woman at the gates. They were vastly outnumbered if the exchange went wrong. She felt her hand instinctually slide over the hilt of her sword, ready to draw at a moment's notice.

The woman stepped forward, and Anya moved to meet her halfway, their forearms clasping in the traditional warriors greeting. "Anya, it has been a long time," the woman said, her voice strong and confident.

"It is good to see you, Indra," Anya replied. "You remember my Second, Lexa."

Indra held out her hand and grasped Lexa's forearm, eyeing her from head to toe, as if asking some unanswered question within her own mind. "Come," she said. "Let us talk within the walls, it's not safe out here."

Lexa followed Anya and Indra into the gates of the village, leaving the two warriors that had accompanied them to stand guard with the others. Within the village, Lexa took notice of the uneasy silence, and the faces of despair that gazed at them with hollow eyes. There couldn't have been more than twenty people within the walls, and most of them were elderly or children. The villagers eyed them nervously, but Lexa saw something else within the faces of the people: fear.

"What happened here?" Lexa asked, but her answer came swiftly at the sight of a massive funeral pyre in the center of the village. The bodies were stacked high, wrapped in cloth, awaiting the blaze that would set their spirits free.

"We were attacked two days ago," Indra replied. "The Reapers came. Hoards of them, from all directions."

"Then we're too late," Anya said, her voice filled with anguish and Lexa could tell that her mentor was fighting to maintain control of her raging emotions.

Indra stared at the funeral pyre in silence for a moment, the weight of her people's deaths bearing down on her. "They took our warriors, killed any who resisted, and then disappeared back into the mines. A group of us managed to fight some off, but we're all that's left now," she explained.

Lexa looked to her mentor for words of wisdom or encouragement, but found only despair in the deep brown eyes of the woman that had trained her since childhood.  
"Gather your remaining people and what supplies you can carry. You must return to TonDC with us," Lexa said, taking charge of the hopeless situation.

"Return to TonDC with you?" Indra asked, her voice tinged with a tone of anger.  
"This is our home. Our dead are not yet returned to the earth. We will not leave this place."

Anya shook her head as if waking from a daze. "No, Lexa is right. The Mountain attacks have grown more frequent, and it is only a matter of time before they return for the rest of you. We cannot survive these attacks and the winter alone, but we have a chance with our two people working together. I know that you see this, Indra," Anya said, trying to appeal to the other leaders rational side.

"You expect us to just abandon our village?" Indra asked, her voice sharp.

"I expect you to do what is best for your people, as I am trying to do what is best for mine. Our only shot at survival is together."

Indra was quiet for a long while, silence hanging heavily in the air as she measured the situation. "Very well," she sighed. "I will tell my people to gather their belongings. We leave now."

Lexa watched as Indra made her way to the funeral pyre. "Yu gonplei ste odon," she whispered as she touched a torch to the wood. The flame caught quickly, spreading over the bodies as if devouring them with an unquenchable hunger. Black smoke billowed thick into the air, and Lexa knew that death's appetite was never satisfied and the fight for survival was never over.


	3. Chapter 3

They marched through the forest in a symphony of broken branches and heavy footfalls, coupled with the groans of the injured villagers that they dragged behind them on stretchers. Lexa kept her sword drawn and her green eyes trained on the trees around them, knowing well that the large group was an easy target for the Reapers. Indra had a little less than twenty warriors left after the raid that had claimed the lives of over half her village, and they spread out surrounding the elderly, the injured, and the children.

"We must pick up our pace, Anya," Lexa whispered, feeling as if the trees themselves were watching them. She marched alongside her mentor at the front of the group, leading the villagers back through the woods.

"We're moving as fast as we can," Indra replied, trudging along on Anya's other side. "The wounded cannot carry themselves."

"Just keep moving," Anya interjected. "We're almost home."

The treetops above them shifted in the wind, and through the breaks in the leaves, Lexa could see the thick gray clouds of a storm hovering just overhead. In a few weeks the temperature would drop and the rain would turn to snow, freezing the forest until the spring came around again. She knew that time was limited, and now with the addition of the new villagers, they would have to stockpile even more food and supplies to last through the winter.

Was the addition of twenty soldiers also worth the addition of forty more mouths to feed? Lexa knew that Anya had not made this decision lightly, and that her mentor truly believed this was the only way to survive. They would always do what they must to survive; that was the only thing that was certain.

A twig snapped twenty yards away, and Lexa instantly stopped in her tracks, gazing into the tree line. She saw a shadow pass between the trunks of two trees and felt the hair on the back of her neck stand on end as a cold twinge snaked down her spine.

"What is it?" Anya asked as she brought the entire group to a halt.

Lexa remained focused on the forest around her. She saw another silhouette pass between trees, and then glanced behind her to see another; they were surrounded. "Reapers!" she shouted, her voice flooding with adrenaline.

The group erupted in panicked screams and the children cowered behind the elderly. Then the forest exploded with commotion as a wave of Reapers emerged from the tree line. They were wild and feral beasts with the body of men and the faces of people that they once knew, but their eyes were empty and devoid of emotion, their mouths foaming with rage and bloodlust. They carried swords and clubs and moved with the speed of wolves on the hunt, whooping and hollering with animalistic shouts and growls. Any trace of the men that they once were was gone, replaced by mindless inhumanity; being taken by the Mountain was a fate worse than death.

"Form up!" Indra shouted. Instantly her warriors reacted, encompassing the group in a defensive circle.

Lexa stood shoulder to shoulder with Anya, readying her stance and bracing herself for the oncoming attack. Two Reapers emerged from the trees and darted towards them, wild hate burning in their eyes. Lexa raised her sword, quickly blocking the downward slash of the first Reaper, deflecting his blow and then spinning out of the way of his second strike.

She put all the force she could behind a heavy kick to his chest and sent him tumbling backwards into the waiting edge of Anya's sword, and then she ducked as the spear from the second Reaper passed over where her head had been. She rolled backwards and sprung to her feet, sinking her sword through the Reaper's back and watching as it came out his stomach soaked in blood. The body dropped to the ground and Lexa took her place beside Anya without once faltering her stride.

She glanced around at the other warriors and watched as Indra quickly dispatched two Reapers with her spear, but the other fighters were struggling against more overwhelming odds. Wave after wave of Reapers rushed forward, picking people off where their flanks were exposed and dragging them into the woods. Their group of forty was dwindling quickly.

"We need to move!" Anya shouted. "We're outnumbered!"

Lexa pulled out a knife from her waistband and hurled it at an oncoming Reaper, forcing it deep into his chest with a sickly thud. Two more Reapers lunged towards them, and their blades clashed in air, echoing loudly through the trees. Anya sidestepped and swept a Reaper's feet out from under him while Lexa plunged her blade through his stomach before he could land on the flat of his back.

She was too slow in drawing her blade from the man's abdomen and felt the sharp sting of metal slicing through flesh on her arm. Hot black blood flowed from the gash as she rolled out of the way of another strike and sprung to her feet, sword in hand. She stared at the Reaper in front of her, a new sense of anger burning in her green eyes. The man brought his sword down heavily, but she blocked his attack and went on offense of her own.

The Reaper had sheer strength on his side, but Lexa was quick and agile, dancing around him and matching his sword blow for blow. She waited patiently for an opening, as Anya had taught her, and when the man's arms grew tired, she quickly broke past his defense and sunk her sword through his neck, burying it hilt deep in his flesh. She withdrew it in time to end the life of another Reaper that Anya had sent stumbling off balance towards her.

The women fought side by side, working together to dispatch enemy after enemy. Years of training together and adapting to each other's techniques gave them an advantage and strategy over the clumsy assault of the Reapers that attacked with blind rage and brute force. But no matter how elegant and easy they made it look, Anya knew that they could not hold off the numbers forever.

"We have to run!" Anya shouted over the clamor of battle.

"What about the injured and the elderly?" Indra asked, forcing a Reaper back.

"We have to leave them!"

Lexa plucked a spear from a dead Reaper's hands and hurled it towards another hidden in the tree line. "We can't just leave them to die, Anya!" she snapped.

Anya shook her head. "We must. We save who we can, Lexa."

Lexa's eyes met her mentor's, and she felt the weight of the decision bearing down on her. "They'll be slaughtered," she said. "I can't leave them."

"You will," Anya replied. "Indra, tell your men to take the children and run. Once we near TonDC, the Reapers will be in range of our archers. They will not follow."

"These are my people!" Indra yelled, voice full of pain and anguish.

"And they will all be dead or worse if we do not retreat. Save who we can," Anya answered.

Indra let out a growl of frustration as she thrust her blade up into the chest of another Reaper. "Grab the children and break for TonDC!" Indra shouted, and her men instantly obliged.

The soldiers scooped up the ten or so children that were left and headed in full sprint towards the village, the other warriors flanking them to provide cover from the Reapers. Behind them in the midst of chaos and dead bodies, the injured moaned for help and the elderly stood terrified, hopelessly awaiting the clutches of death.

Lexa looked at the pained faces of the defenseless people, and stood rooted in place, clutching tightly and white-knuckled to the hilt of her sword.

"Lexa, we must go!" Anya yelled.  
"I will not leave them!" Lexa shot back, squaring her stance as a group of Reapers moved to surround them.

"Lexa, a leader must know when to surrender. We run now, or we die here with them," Anya said, taking her Second by the arm and pulling her away from the battle.

Lexa sprinted alongside Anya, allowing her mentor to lead her away from danger. The Reapers followed closely behind them, and Lexa could hear the shouts of the men and women they had left behind as they were dragged into the forest. They moved quickly and silently through the trees, Indra right on their heals. Up ahead, Lexa could see the statue of the bearded man sitting on his marble throne that marked the border of TonDC.

When they got closer, they heard the distinct sound of arrows slicing through the air over their heads. Allowing a glance over her shoulder, Lexa saw the Reaper's that had been following them collapse to the ground in a heap of limbs as arrows sunk deep into their chests. In the trees above them, she caught a glimpse of the archers from TonDC, and knew that they were safe.

They slowed their pace to a jog, breathing heavily and gasping for air, but still they kept moving. The archers would cover their retreat from the trees, but they needed to get to the village and take control of the situation before panic spread like wildfire. Beside her, Lexa saw Indra wipe one solemn tear from her cheek, her expression hard and set on the gates of the village in front of them.

"You're a Natblida," Indra said.

"Yes," Lexa nodded, but did not look towards the other woman, hiding the sorrow she knew was swimming behind her eyes.

"Good," Indra replied, trudging through the open gates of TonDC.

"Indra, take control of the situation. Keep our people calm. I need a moment with my Second," Anya called after the other leader. She looked towards Lexa, their eyes meeting. "We do what we must to survive, Lexa," she began.

"We could have held them off," Lexa replied, the terrified faces of those they'd left behind clouding her mind.

Anya shook her head. "No, we couldn't have. We were outnumbered. We're lucky to have made it back at all."

"How could we just leave them to die like that?" Lexa asked, her voice flooding with emotion, her tone rising to a near shout.  
"Sometimes we have to sacrifice the few to save the many," Anya answered, doing her duty to instill wisdom upon her Second. "They died so that the rest of us could live. TonDC will survive through the winter now."

Lexa felt the sting of tears in her eyes, but choked them back. "When do the sacrifices end?" she asked.

Anya was silent for a moment, letting the air settle between them as if words unsaid were hanging there. "They don't," she replied, before turning to tend to the new members of her village.


	4. Chapter 4

It had been three days since their battle with the Reapers, and all had been quiet. The addition of Indra's warriors bolstered the ranks of their archers, and the guards that took to the trees could easily dispatch any Reapers that came within distance of TonDC. The extra soldiers also helped with the burden of hunting and gathering food, allowing the hunting parties enough numbers to move through the forest without much concern of an attack.

Anya had been right. The risk they had taken to bring Indra's villagers back, and the sacrifice they'd made in leaving the elderly and injured behind had been worth it. Their food stores were growing, and the extra hands were able to help with duties around the village like mending huts and sewing winter clothing. From the looks of it, they would survive.

Indra and Anya worked together well, and they led their people with purpose and discipline. Each day they would set goals, and each night they would discuss what needed to be done next in preparation of winter. It did not appear like there would be a struggle for power between the two women, but rather as if they were both happy to be sharing the burden of leadership with someone else.

Lexa emerged from her hut at the sound of horns announcing approaching riders. It was early morning, the sun overhead warm against her pale cheeks, but she could feel the cold bite of the approaching winter in the air around her. She moved to stand by Anya's side at the gates as four riders galloped into the center of the village.

A man climbed down from a black stallion. He wore long gray robes, his head shaved completely, and he stood with an ancient air of wisdom about him. He spotted Anya and made his way over to her, grasping forearms in their traditional greeting.

Anya took his arm and bowed slightly. "Fleimkappa," she said.

"Flame Keeper?" Lexa asked, her voiced laced with surprise. "What is he doing here?"

"I sent for him," Anya replied. "I must make my own sacrifice so that our people have a chance at a better future. You are ready, Lexa."

"Is this the girl?" the Flame Keeper asked.

"Yes," Anya replied.

The Flame Keeper took Lexa's hand without hesitation, drawing his blade and running the knife down her palm. It bit sharply at her skin but Lexa did not flinch, and she watched as her thick black blood pooled in her hand. The Flame Keeper pulled a cloth from the dredges of his gray robes and pressed it tightly to her palm to staunch the bleeding.

"Say your goodbyes, Natblida," he said. "You will join the rest of the novitiates in Polis."

Lexa turned to Anya, lost in a storm of emotion. She'd trained day in and day out her entire life so that she could be ready to go to Polis and fight in the conclave, and now her dream was actually being realized. "Thank you," she whispered.

Anya held out her hand and clasped Lexa's forearm. "You are the only person who can end the threat of the Mountain Men," she replied. "You know what you must do."

Lexa nodded. "I will not fail."

"Remember your training, and carry my lessons with you."

"Always," Lexa replied, feeling tears sting her eyes. She would not let them fall. She would not let them see the love that she had for this woman.

"May we meet again," Anya said, pulling her Second into her arms. She could feel Lexa shaking, but she just held to her tighter. "Steady your nerves," she whispered.

Lexa nodded and reluctantly pulled herself from her mentor's firm grasp. The Flame Keeper led a horse over to her, and Lexa swung herself effortlessly up into the saddle, sitting proudly atop the steed. She would go to Polis and train beneath the Commander, and upon the Commander's death, she would win the next conclave. It was what she had been born to do.

The Flame Keeper spurred his horse to a gallop and trotted out of the gates in front of her. Lexa looked over her shoulder, sparing once last glance at her mentor and her home. "May we meet again," she said, and then took off after the Flame Keeper, leaving behind everything that she knew.

Her horse fell into stride beside the Flame Keeper, trotting easily through the underbrush. Lexa tried as hard as she could to hold back her emotions, but watched helplessly as a single tear escaped and slid down her cheek. The biting wind whipped against her face and dried it almost instantly, but not before the Flame Keeper took notice.

"Hodnes laik kwelnes," he said, his tone void of emotion. "Love is weakness."

"If you do not fight for the ones you love, then what is there to fight for?" Lexa asked, knowing that she would do anything for Anya and her people.

"Your duty," the Flame Keeper replied.  
Lexa nodded her understanding, though she was sure that he was mistaken. Her love for her people was strength, something to draw upon in battle, not something to hide from. She breathed in a deep breath, steadying her nerves and forcing her emotions to remain at bay.

"To be Commander is to be alone," the Flame Keeper continued on. "Let that be your first lesson, Leksa kom Trikru."

"Yes Fleimkappa," she replied, her voice hard as steel.

"Call me Titus," he said.


	5. Chapter 5

Polis was magnificent beyond Lexa's imagination. The city rose up out of the forest like the flame of a torch in thick fog, eerily and beautifully in the distance, sprawling for miles around. There were hundreds of houses and buildings lining the busy streets, and thousands of people moving with the commotion of their daily lives.   
Lexa and Titus rode through markets and vendors, the scent of roasted meats wafting in the air. They galloped lightly towards the center of the city, and the point at which everything converged; a large tower that jutted into the skyline standing like a giant over the people below.

Lexa stared up at the tower, craning her neck just to see the top. A roaring yellow flame burned brightly in a basin atop the building like a beacon lighting the way for others to come from far and wide. The city was unlike anything she'd ever seen and she felt an overwhelming rush of excitement, letting herself smile for the first time in months.

"Welcome to Polis," Titus said.

"It's amazing," Lexa whispered. "Will I get to meet the Commander?" she asked, awe flooding her trembling voice.

Titus nodded, climbing down from his horse. "All the novitiates train beneath the Commander and learn from her wisdom," he explained. "Come."

Lexa slid out of her saddle, her legs sore from the ten-hour ride. She breathed in deeply, smelling the mix of fresh food from stall vendors and smoke from the fire burning brightly above the city. Titus disappeared into a tunnel that led into the great building, and Lexa followed silently behind him. They walked quietly down a dim lit hall, torches casting the glow of shadows on the walls around them.

"This way," the Flame Keeper said, leading her towards two guards that were standing around some sort of lever and pulley system.

The guards turned a giant wheel, and a platform held by ropes and chains lowered itself to the ground. Titus climbed onto it and pulled Lexa up behind him. She stood at his side, looking up into a vast tunnel of darkness as the platform slowly started to lift them into the air. Level upon level passed in front of them until the platform finally came to a creaking stop on the highest floor of the building. Before them was a set of double doors and two more guards standing watch as the Flame Keeper led the new novitiate into the hall.

Lexa's hand instinctually went to the blade at her side, but the Flame Keeper caught her apprehension. He placed his hand on her shoulder, calming her nerves. "You are right not to trust what you see," he said. "But you are safe here."  
Titus shoved open the double doors in front of them, leading Lexa in to a great hall. The ceilings were vaulted; torches and basins of fire lit the entire room, casting it in a warm bright glow. Guards stood at their posts throughout the room, clutching spears and standing at the ready. A woman sat on a throne of woven branches and metal, behind her a balcony over looked the entire city and forest for as far as the eye could see. In front of her sat eight children, ranging in age from eight to eighteen, and they all looked towards Lexa.

It wasn't the sheer extravagance of the room she was in, or the eyes of the guards on her that made her nervous, but rather the woman that sat on the throne. She wore an intricate steel shoulder guard, a bright red cape draping behind her elegantly, and an impassive look on her face. She was stunningly beautiful, her blue eyes framed in the traditional black makeup of a warrior. Tattoos of the Floukru, the boat people, lined her cheeks and arms. Her black hair fell in waves down her shoulders and braids down her back, and what resembled a golden bronze cog sat prominently between her eyes, the symbol of command amongst the coalition.

"Heda," Titus spoke, bowing before the woman. "I bring you Leksa kom Trikru, the ninth novitiate."

Lexa understood who the eight people sitting before the Commander were; they were the other novitiates, and her competition upon the start of the conclave. She bowed respectfully to the woman on the throne, allowing the weight of Titus's words to sink in. It was another few seconds before the Commander spoke.

"Rise, Leksa kom Trikru," she said, moving gracefully to stand before Lexa.

The Commander held out her hand and clasped Lexa's forearm, greeting her as an equal. "Heda," Lexa said, meeting the woman's eyes. She wasn't much older than Lexa, but there was a wisdom about her far beyond her years, as if her soul had lived for many lifetimes before.

"You have the look of battle about you, Lexa, yet I do not recall any battles of recent. Trikru is the sixth clan of my coalition, tell me, who do you fight?" The Commander asked.

"The Mountain Men," Lexa replied. "They've been attacking for months now. Taking our people."

The Commander nodded her understanding. "Your fight is no longer with the Mountain. Your duty is here now," she said.

"My duty is to my people," Lexa answered, instantly worried that she might have crossed the thin line between strength and disobedience.  
Heda stared at her for a moment, expression unreadable, eyes narrowing with speculation. "Leksa kom Trikru, if you were to win the conclave upon my death and ascend to commander, what would you aim to do?" she asked, catching Lexa slightly off guard.

"When I become Heda, I will unite all twelve clans," she replied without the slightest hint of hesitation.

The woman’s brow raised in surprise. "I have united six clans in my coalition, but the other six stand with Azgeda. People would argue that uniting all twelve clans has never been done. Ice Nation would stop you."

"And I would say let them try," Lexa challenged.

The Commander glared at her in silence, the weight of the air hanging heavy around them. And then she smiled. "If my spirit chooses you, it will have chosen wisely," she whispered so that only Lexa could hear.


	6. Chapter 6

"Novitiates!" shouted the Commander, her voice strong; it was the type of voice that demanded attention. "Pair up and spar."

Lexa looked around at the other novitiates; she was one of the oldest Nightbloods there, there was no doubt about that. She considered what the conclave might be like and having to kill the ten-year-old boy that slept next to her at night. The thought was troubling.

"Do not let age fool you, Lexa," Titus said, as if reading her mind. "Not a single one of them will hesitate to kill you during your conclave. To be Commander is to be ruthless."

"Yes, Fleimkappa," Lexa replied. Anya had tried to teach her a similar lesson before; leadership demands sacrifice, and sacrifice demands blood.

They stood in the middle of a training ground on the outskirts of the city, situated on a hilltop and looking out over all of Polis. It was a place that the novitiates could train out of sight from the prying eyes of the ambassadors that inhabited the capitol. Each clan of the Commander's coalition had a delegate in Polis; there to represent their people and aid the Commander in matters of war. No doubt that each of them had their own agendas as well, supporting the novitiate of their home clan or the one that best suited their interests.

Lexa resigned herself to staying out of the matters of politics, her focus remaining solely on the task at hand. Her training was all that mattered, and the lessons that she could take away from Heda. Her people were depending on it.

"Leksa kom Trikru," Heda said, making her way over to Lexa. "You will spar with Luna...kom Trikru."

Lexa exchanged glances with the girl that followed closely behind the Commander. Another Trikru? Two Natblidas from the same clan was rare, yet not unheard of. She was the only other novitiate that appeared close in age to Lexa, perhaps even a little bit older.

Her eyes were a deep shade of brown, warm like the autumn leaves, almost orange in the glinting sunlight. Her shoulder length brown hair cascaded in tiny braids down to her chest, and she wore a confident grin about her divine features her skin the same warm shade as her eyes. She was dressed in the traditional black robes of the novitiates, and she spun a sparring spear around her shoulders, her wrists flowing with effortless motion.

Lexa squared her stance to match the other girl, twirling her own spear about her shoulders and behind her back with ease. Her green eyes seemed to almost glow with fierce concentration beneath the frame of her black war paint. Her deep brown hair flowed down her back, her brow furrowed in focus.

"You're Trikru as well," Luna stated as she circled her opponent. Her voice was gentle, almost kind, and she spoke with a slight accent that told Lexa she was from the eastern most reaches of Trigedakru, the woods clans.

"Yes," Lexa replied doing her best to remain focused on the fight. The Commander stood watching over them, and Lexa would not lose in front of Heda.

The girls circled each other, matching their stances step for step in perfect balance. Lexa waited patiently for Luna to make the first move, looking for anything that would reveal a weakness in her fighting style and intently studying her opponent. Luna lunged forward, her wooden sparring spear meeting Lexa's, clashing just above their heads. Lexa pushed back, forcing Luna to step backwards, but the other girl quickly regained her balance and went on the attack again.

This time she aimed low, trying to sweep Lexa's legs out from under her, but Lexa read her move and quickly hopped over her staff. Lexa brought her spear down on Luna in a wide downward arc, but she was able to quickly manage a two-handed block and then spin out of the way of a second attack. The women were evenly matched, exchanging blow for blow and block for block.

"You're good," Luna said between attacks.

Lexa responded by pushing forward with another hard advance, sending two quick high strikes followed by an attempted low strike in rapid succession. Luna deflected them away, but any trace of the confident grin she wore before the fight had now been replaced with a look of sheer determination.

Lexa attacked again, forcing Luna back on her heels. "You've been sparring with children for too long," Lexa said, continuing her advance.

Fire flashed in Luna's eyes as she sidestepped, throwing Lexa's attack to the left and then spinning her spear hard to the right. The wood connected heavily with Lexa's flesh, opening a deep gash just above her eye. Thick black blood began to pour out, clouding her vision as Lexa stumbled back. She wiped the blood from her eyes with the back of her hand, quickly regaining composure.

"I spar with Heda," Luna said through gritted teeth.

The other novitiate rushed forward again, throwing blow after blow at Lexa who was quickly parrying them away, having recovered from the shot she took. One thing about training beneath Anya was that her mentor never pulled her punches, and Lexa was used to taking heavy beatings. It had made her strong, and neither pain nor blood fazed her.  
They fought on for what seemed like hours, each of them lost in their own world of bitter concentration. All else faded away, and the only things that remained were their opponent and their weapons. Both of the novitiates refused to yield to the other, and Lexa would fight all night if she had to. One thing was certain: winning the conclave would be a battle in itself.

Sweat poured down Lexa's face, mixing with the black blood that was still flowing steadily from the gash above her eye. Luna was advancing strong and Lexa felt the burn of fatigue in the muscles of her arms, each blow sending shockwaves radiating through her bones. 'Leaders have to know when to surrender,' Anya's words echoed through her mind.

"No," Lexa whispered to herself, gritting her teeth and tightening her grip on her spear.

She blocked Luna's strike and pressed forward with a counterattack of her own, finding a new burst of energy deep within her soul. Her spear came down hard on Luna's and the girl stumbled backwards, surprised at the strength behind the blow. Lexa advanced quickly, spinning her staff upwards and feeling it connect hard with Luna's nose. A loud crack rang out and a spray of black blood shot upwards with the momentum of her spear.

Luna lost her balance and Lexa took advantage, using her staff to swipe the other girl's legs out from under her and sending her tumbling flat on her back. The young novitiate stared up at her, wide-eyed and dazed from the blow as Lexa pressed the tip of her spear to her throat. They were both breathing heavily, gasping for air and trembling with adrenaline.

Lexa glanced around the training ground, noticing for the first time that all the eyes of the novitiates, the Commander, and the Flame Keeper, were on their fight. A girl stood next to the Flame Keeper; she was young, maybe about seventeen. She wore the traditional gray robes of the Fleimkappa and her blond hair was woven into several intricate braids. She stared at Lexa with blue eyes that reminded her of the crystal clear pools beneath a waterfall, and she wore an expression of utter admiration on her face. She had no visible tattoos, but her cheeks flushed red as she noticed Lexa's eyes on her.

"Well done!" The Commander shouted, breaking Lexa's daze. "It seems as though Luna has finally met her equal."

"Thank you, Heda," Lexa replied, bowing respectfully to the Commander and then reaching down to help pull Luna to her feet. "You fought well," she said.

Luna clutched Lexa's forearm in a gesture of good will and then pressed her sleeve to her nose, trying to hold back the flow of blood. "You are a skilled warrior," Luna complimented.

Lexa nodded. "As are you."

"Lexa!" Titus called, drawing her attention away from Luna. The two novitiates exchanged nods of respect before Lexa wandered over to where the Flame Keeper stood. "Take caution not to revel in your victory. There is always another battle to fight tomorrow," he said.

Lexa nodded her understanding, but had to fight to hide her curious gaze from the girl that stood rooted in place next to Titus. "Yes, Fleimkappa," she replied, wiping the blood that was still seeping down the side of her face.

"Your wound requires stitches," Titus stated. "Come, I'll have my apprentice tend to you," he said, motioning to the striking woman that stood beside him. "This is my novitiate. She will be keeper of the flame upon my death."

The girl smiled, and Lexa felt her heart skip a beat in her chest. "Hi," she said, holding out her hand. "I'm Costia."


	7. Chapter 7

Back in Polis, Lexa sat on a couch in front of Costia in the novitiates chamber, wincing as the girl stitched her wound closed. Lexa stared at her in silence, watching the expressions on her face change and her brow furrow in concentration as she worked to mend the gash. There were flecks of gray in the pure blue of her eyes, and Lexa couldn't help but notice the way the candle light reflected in them, like little suns dancing on the lake at sunset.

"You are an amazing fighter," Costia said, breaking the silence. Her hands moved deftly and with experience, her voice was gentle, like a melody.

"I've been training my entire life," Lexa replied, being careful not to move with a needle pressed so close to her eye.

"You make it look so easy, like a dance. It's a thing of beauty to watch."

Lexa felt a smile tugging at her cheeks, but she refrained from letting it show. "I had a good teacher," she said instead.

Costia looked down, their eyes meeting. "Your mentor would be proud," she assured her, holding her gaze.

A ball of nerves twisted in Lexa's stomach, and she couldn't bring herself to look away. "My mentor would have told me to end that fight much sooner."

"She kept you hidden from the Flame Keeper's scouts for all these years?" Costia asked. "The novitiates usually arrive here at a much younger age."

"She did. She wanted to be sure that I was ready before sending me to the conclave. Trikru needs me to become Heda."

Costia pulled the last stitch tight and then used a knife to quickly sever the string. "Or maybe she was trying to protect you."

"I know she was, but my people need me. We are fighting two wars; one with the Mountain Men and the Reapers, and another with Azgeda and the clans that follow Ice Nation. If I become Heda, I will end the war with Ice Nation, and use the armies of the twelve clans to bring down Mount Weather. Then we can finally have peace," Lexa explained, instantly wondering why she found it so easy to open up to this girl.

"Peace?" Costia asked. It seemed a novel concept. The world had not seen peace since the day the bombs fell. Civilization ended in war, and was born again in the blood and fire of the twelve clans that remained.

"It may be wishful thinking," Lexa shrugged, the thought sending a wave of unsettling nerves shooting down her spine.

Costia dipped a cloth in a bowl of water and began gently wiping away the hardened black blood that had caked itself to Lexa's cheek. Lexa sat rigidly for a moment, not used to the sensation of someone touching her with any sort of tenderness or compassion and it seemed to suck the breath from her lungs. After a minute, she allowed her shoulders to relax, aware of every bit of Costia's skin that was touching hers, sending sparks dancing across her flesh.

"You have a vision, Lexa," Costia, said. "You would make a wonderful commander."

Their eyes met again, and Lexa could feel the friction in the air between them, charged and pulsing like a magnet. Costia's hand still rested gently on her cheek even though the rest of her blood had long since been wiped clean. Her thumb moved gently over the fresh stitches and then down Lexa’s cheek, tracing her sharp jawline. A knock came at the door, and Costia quickly pulled her hand away, throwing the cloth into the bowl of brackish water and standing to leave.

"I'm sorry to interrupt," Luna said, entering the room. "Lexa, Heda wishes the novitiates to meet her in the throne room."

Lexa stood quickly and made her way over to the door, anxious to get away from the tension in the room and not understanding the nearly irresistible pull to stay that coursed through her veins. "Thank you," she said to Costia over her shoulder, and then followed Luna into the hallway.

The girls walked side-by-side, almost equal in height, carrying themselves with confidence towards the elevator. "What's going on?" Lexa asked.

"I'm not sure," Luna replied.

They were silent for a moment, awkwardness hanging slightly in the air before Lexa spoke again. "How long have you been in Polis?"

Luna was older than Lexa, but not by much. The last conclave had been a few years before, so that meant that Luna had been hiding from the Flame Keeper scouts as well. If not, she would have been dead, killed in the conclave that allowed their current Commander to ascend.

"About a year," Luna replied, her tone soft and almost wishful, as if reminiscing on memories long since passed. "When you arrived, you said that the Mountain Men had been attacking. Is it bad?" she asked.

"Yes. They're taking more and more people. The number of Reapers is swelling." Lexa wasn't sure which village Luna hailed from, but the Mountain Men posed a threat to all of Trikru.

The novitiates boarded the elevator platform and waited patiently as it lurched upward, crawling towards the very top floor. "The coalition has to do something," Luna said.

"They can't. We're already at war with Ice Nation. No more soldiers can be spared to fight the Mountain. We must handle one battle at a time," Lexa answered, understanding well that the problems of Trikru would have to wait.

"We can talk to the Commander. Maybe she can send warriors," Luna offered.

"No. Our job right now is to focus on training for the conclave, Luna. I want to help our people as much as you do, but the only way to do that is if one of us becomes Heda."

Luna looked as if she were about to cry, her tan skin glossing white, and Lexa wondered how this girl would ever be able to make the decisions that required sacrifice if she were to become the next Commander. The elevator came to a stop on the top floor, and the girls exited together, pushing their way through the double doors and into the throne room.

Heda sat at the head of the room on her elegant throne of wood and steel, but now the delegates from the six clans of the coalition sat in chairs of their own in a semicircle around her. Lexa did not recognize the ambassador from Trikru. The other novitiates stood behind the Commander's throne, and the Flame Keeper stood stoically at her side, his eyes meeting Lexa's as they made their way over to where the other novitiates waited.

"Good, now that we're all here, we can begin," Heda spoke, breaking the silence that had hung heavy in the room.

The double doors burst open and the sentries dragged a man in by his arms, a hood over his head, and his hands bound behind his back. He wore tattered battle armor, his skin covered in white war paint, and he struggled against his restraints, thrashing about like a fish on the end of a line.

"This Ice Nation scum was caught within the city limits of Polis," the Commander began. "He killed two sentries."

The delegates from the six clans of the coalition erupted in whispers and each of them exchanged glances of disgust. Titus remained impassive beside the Commander, his arms folded in the sleeves of his robes. The sentries removed the prisoner's hood to reveal the man's face. His eyes were wild and full of hatred, thick scars framed his face but they were not scars of battle, rather the scars of the Ice Nation clan, etched into his skin with purpose.

He struggled forward at the sight of the Commander, gritting his teeth against the cloth gag that had been shoved into his mouth. Lexa was sure that if the sentries had not been holding him, he would have attacked Heda on sight. Anger seethed red in his cheeks, and he made feral noises almost as if he was growling. The guard that stood above him removed the gag from his mouth, allowing him to speak.

"I bring a message from the Ice Queen," the man said, his voice thick and bloodthirsty. "Stedaunon don gon we." He smiled then through blood stained teeth and began to laugh. "The dead are gone," he repeated. “And Ageda will swell their ranks with the blood of the coalition.” It was a clear threat; Ice Nation was hungry for war and power, and they would stop at nothing to get it, no matter how many had to die.

Lexa spared a glance at Luna to her left, the girl's brown eyes filled with bewilderment as if she didn't know what to make of the scene before her. The other novitiates stared at the man, each of them trying to make sense of the situation. Lexa, carrying her teachings with her, knew what would come next: Justice.

"Novitiates, I bring you here to bare witness to an important lesson," Heda said, addressing the band of teens that stood behind her. "Jus drein jus daun."

"Blood must have blood," Lexa whispered.

"That's right, Lexa," the Commander replied. "Blood must have blood. This man must die for his actions and the threat he carries with them."

The Commander stood, drawing her sword, and without hesitation strode over to the Ice Nation warrior. With one quick motion, and without a hint of mercy, she raked the blade across his neck, opening a wide gash so that all of his life's blood spilled out onto the floor before them.

The novitiates looked shocked, their eyes wide at the sight of the sudden brutality of it, all of them but Lexa. She stood impassive, holding the man's gaze and watching as the last flicker of life in his eyes faded out. When she looked up, the Commander was staring at her, a look of mutual respect and understanding on her face.

"This was an act of war," Heda said. "We must act. This threat cannot go ignored. Delegates, what say you?"

The ambassadors of the six clans glanced at one another, whispering their consensus before slowly rising one by one in their seats. Each of them gave Heda a single nod. "Then it is settled," the Commander spoke. "I call upon the armies of the six clans of my coalition. Tomorrow, we march to battle."


	8. Chapter 8

Lexa and the rest of the novitiates followed Heda and her war party to the outskirts of Polis. The Commander and her Flame Keeper rode on horseback, geared for war and ready for battle. Heda wore her steel shoulder guard, her sword secured tightly in a scabbard on her back and her blue eyes glowing beneath the black war paint that lined her face. Her hair was pulled into long braids behind her head and the crimson red of her cape flowed elegantly behind her, cascading down the flanks of her horse like a waterfall.

The Commander's coalition was to march together into battle; six clans would clash against six clans, an all out civil war. Lexa wondered why Heda chose to act against the threat of the Ice Queen, when ignoring it would have been easier.

"Heda?" Lexa asked, riding on horseback beside her Commander. "Why do we march on the Ice Nation when we know it is exactly what the Ice Queen wants?"

The Commander looked to her novitiate, scanning her with eyes that bore an entire century of wisdom. "The threat of the Ice Queen weakens my stance as head of the coalition. If any of the six clans that follow me feel I am unfit to lead, they will switch to the Ice Queen's side, and we will be outnumbered. Right now, although we are at war, we have balance," she explained.

"But the Ice Nation army sits within the borders of Azgeda," Lexa said. "You are marching into enemy territory, knowing that is exactly what she wants you to do. Do you have a plan?"

The Commander allowed herself a small grin, though there was no joy behind it. "Plans don't last very long in battle, Leksa kom Trikru," she replied, wistfully.

"Surely they are anticipating your retribution, Heda. Is there no other way?"

"Lexa," Heda began, "Part of being a leader is knowing that sacrifices must be made to achieve victory. I have the trust of my coalition and the support of our armies, now it is up to me to make the decisions that will bring us one step closer to our goal. We must be able to look into the eyes of our warriors and say 'go die for me.'"

Lexa nodded, understanding that the casualties on both sides of this conflict would be massive. "Let me come with you, Heda. Let me fight by your side."

The Commander shook her head. "You are brave, Natblida. And more than that, you are passionate and strong. You are everything that makes up what a Commander should be, but you are also impulsive. You must learn how to separate your feelings from duty, Lexa. I know that you mean well, that you want to fight for what you believe in, but your duty is here," she explained. "If I am to die on the field of battle, my spirit will need to choose the next Commander, and you need to be here to fight in the conclave."

The war party reached the edge of Polis where the rest of the Commander's army stood ready to march. The warriors lined in rows for as far as Lexa could see, and she couldn't help but feel the overwhelming sense that there would be years more of needless bloodshed before the clans finally found peace.

The Commander brought her horse to a stop, and the novitiates slowed behind her. "Novitiates!" she called, addressing the group of nine. "If I should fall, remember your training, and may my spirit choose wisely," she said, her blue eyes falling directly on Lexa.

"Be safe, Heda," Lexa replied.

"May we meet again, Leksa kom Trikru," the Commander replied, her expression unreadable.

Heda spurred her horse into a gallop, moving through the lines of warriors to lead them into battle. The soldiers cheered and chanted her name over and over again, their war cries echoing long into the distance. The dead are gone; the living are hungry, the Ice Queen's words rang in Lexa's mind and she wondered if her people would always be as hungry for war. Would the killing ever know an end?

"Lexa," the Flame Keeper called, drawing her attention away from the Commander as she faded into the masses. "I must go with the Commander in case I am needed to perform the passing of the flame ritual," Titus said. "My novitiate, Costia, will remain behind in Polis. If I am to fall, she knows the ritual."

"I understand, Fleimkappa. I'll watch over her," Lexa replied. Titus preached that love was weakness, but she could tell that he cared for this girl. He gave her a solemn nod, and then turned to ride after the Commander.

The novitiates sat atop their horses at the gates of the great city, watching as every last warrior of the Commander's coalition faded into the distance. The sentries remained behind to guard the city in Heda's absence, but it was still not safe for the novitiates to wander about outside the tower. A single assassin could wipe out the ranks of the Natblidas, thus ending the Commanders line of succession in one single blow.

"Let's get back to the tower," Lexa called to the group of novitiates, turning and riding towards the heart of the city.

Luna rode in silence beside Lexa, lost in her thoughts and looking sick to her stomach. The bridge of her nose and her sun kissed cheeks were slightly bruised from where Lexa had struck her, turning from purple to a shade of yellow. Her warm brown eyes were distant, as if she were somewhere far away, paying no attention to the present.

"Luna?" Lexa asked. "What is bothering you?"

The girl looked towards her fellow novitiate, shame written in her cheeks. "I don't think I can do this, Lexa," she admitted.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that I am not like you. I can't look into the eyes of my people and tell them to die for me. I can't ask a clan to march to a war that I do not believe in. I do not know how to make sacrifices for the greater good," she explained.

Lexa sighed. "Luna, you must. It is our duty. One of us must become Commander one day."

"It should be you," Luna said, glancing around nervously to see if any of the other novitiates were listening.

If the Commander was to die in battle, the nine Nightbloods would have to fight to the death in the conclave, and the winner would take the flame. Lexa had been watching the fighting styles of the others; they may have been young, but every single one of them was a skilled warrior. Still, she felt like her biggest challenge in the conclave would come from a confrontation between her and Luna.

"If the spirit of the Commander chooses me, I will perform my duty," Lexa replied.   
"But if she chooses you, you must be ready to perform yours as well."

Luna sighed heavily. "I will try."

"No," Lexa said. "That's not good enough. The coalition must not fall to Azgeda. Trikru will be eradicated by the Mountain Men if that happens."

They were silent for a moment, the thought of their clan being wiped out dragging heavily on both of their minds. "I will do what is best for our people," Luna assured her when she finally spoke again.


	9. Chapter 9

The day of training had been long and hard, despite the absence of the Commander and Flame Keeper for the past two days, the novitiates continued to train beneath the watchful eyes of the sentries. She had sparred with one of the younger boys that afternoon, Ryder. He was fourteen but he towered over her, his strength far out matching hers, and he hit with the force of a cannon. He'd managed to land a blow to the cut above Lexa's eye, and the stitches had burst open, letting fresh blood flow down her face again.

She stood by herself in the empty throne room, looking out over the vast expanse of Polis. The lights of the city below her glowed beneath the moon, flickering in the dark as people settled in to their homes for the evening. In the forest beyond the borders of the city, she thought she could make out fires from the different villages of Trikru. Mount Weather loomed in the distance like a giant, casting a dark shadow over the land in the pale moonlight, hovering like an ill omen. Far away, she could see thick pillars of smoke wafting high into the air and she knew that beyond the mountain a great battle was raging.

She wondered about the Commander and what would happen to the coalition if she were to fall. More than that, she wondered about the spirit of the commander; if the spirit of the commander was to pick her, and the flame to be passed on to her, she would live her days with the knowledge of those that came before. She wondered what it would be like to have other people in her head, seeing her innermost thoughts and desires.

A steady knock came at the door interrupting her thoughts. Costia entered the throne room, the braids that she traditionally wore had been undone and she let her blond hair fall in waves down her shoulders. She looked troubled, though she seemed to relax at the sight of Lexa waiting for her. Their eyes met, and for what felt like an eternity, they stared at each other in silence.

"Thank you for meeting me in here," Lexa spoke, her voice soft. "The other novitiates are trying to sleep in our chambers. I didn't want to wake them."

"Of course," Costia replied. "Let me look at your wound."

She shifted into the room, gently shutting the door behind her, and then she made her way over to where Lexa stood on the balcony. Lexa stood still, her breath catching in her chest as Costia's hands moved delicately over her skin. Her touch was gentle, almost fragile, as if she were afraid that Lexa would dissolve right before her eyes if she pushed too hard.

"I've never been out here at night," Costia said, breaking the silence. "It's beautiful."  
Lexa was sure she was talking about the view of the city, but Costia hadn't taken her eyes off of her yet to even see it. 

"Yes, it really is," Lexa replied, still holding her gaze and staring in to those crystal blue eyes.

Costia let her hand linger on Lexa's cheek a moment longer before letting it gently fall away. "Your wound isn't even bleeding anymore, Lexa. If you didn't bring me here to mend it, then why did you call me up here?"

Lexa breathed a heavy sigh, not even sure of the answer herself. "I guess I just needed someone to talk to," she admitted. She'd spent her entire life training beside Anya, always having someone there to answer her questions and provide guidance. But now, she was alone. "The other novitiates are fine to talk to, but at the end of the day, they are my competition. To show weakness in front of them would be a mistake."

"You think talking is weakness?" Costia asked, finally drawing her gaze away from Lexa to stare out over the vast landscape.

"I think hesitation is weakness," Lexa replied.

"What are you hesitant about?" she asked, tone slightly shifting with concern.

Lexa shrugged. "We do what we must to survive. Even if surviving means having to kill innocent people."

"You're talking about the conclave."

"Yes."

Costia took Lexa's hand and pulled her to the balcony railing. "Look out there and tell me what you see," she said, pointing to the great mountain looming in the distance.

"Mount Weather?"

"Yes. Now tell me how many people that Trikru has lost to the mountain."

"Thousands," Lexa replied. "My parents included."

"Exactly," Costia said. "You have a vision to unite the twelve clans and bring down the mountain, finally putting an end to the Reaping and an end to the wars that rage between clans. The only thing that stands in your way is the conclave, and the eight children that will fight you for the flame. Yet, you still hesitate. Why is that?" she asked.

Lexa felt the flush of embarrassment in her cheeks. "Because I'm weak?"  
"No," Costia answered quickly, cutting through her self doubt like a knife. "It is because you are compassionate. You care for your people, all of them. Including the other Natblidas. You recognize that they are not the enemy, the enemy is out there," she said, pointing to the mountain in the distance again.

"But, to be Commander is to be ruthless," Lexa replied. "Titus taught me that."

"Titus forgets the most basic teachings," Costia answered. "What are the three pillars of being Commander, Lexa?"

"Wisdom, passion, and strength."

"Yes, and you are not lacking in any of those. You have the strength to make the decisions that nobody else can, the wisdom to know what is right and act upon it, but most of all, you have the passion and love for your people to better the way that we live. Lexa, you must become Commander," Costia finshed.

Their gazes met and Lexa could see the sincerity swimming in her eyes and the true belief in the words that she carried. If her own confidence wavered, it was enough knowing that this girl had faith in her. "Thank you," Lexa whispered. "I needed that."

"And our people need you."

The loud blast of a horn sounded in the distance, echoing off the high walls of the tower, interrupting the thick silence that had fell between them. Another blast followed it, and then another, getting closer and closer until the sound of the horn was being produced from the roof above them. Lexa looked to Costia, confused, and saw tears welling like pools in her eyes.

"What is that? What's happening?" Lexa asked, frantically. Were they under attack? Was Ice Nation marching on Polis?

Costia swallowed hard, her face going pale as she struggled to choke back tears. "It means the Commander has fallen."

Lexa felt like she'd been punched in the chest, the weight of the words crashing down on her like an avalanche. She stood stunned, blinking the disbelief from her eyes. She'd spent all her life preparing for this event, and the novitiates spent their days in wait, anticipating the moment of the Commander's death. Now it was here, and it stung like a knife to the heart. She felt a rush of anxiety consume her, bearing down on her lungs and ripping the oxygen from her body.

"Lexa. Lexa, look at me," Costia said, pulling her attention back from the brink of devastation. Their gazes locked as Lexa struggled to breathe. "Now is the time for you to shut everything else out and remember your training. Take a breath and steady your nerves, tomorrow we will begin the conclave."


	10. Chapter 10

Lexa woke in the middle of the night to the sound of someone moving about the novitiate chamber. With the nine of them sleeping in there, it was not uncommon for one to get up during the night, but the sounds of these movements were unsettling, almost frantic. Lexa sat up, looking around through the darkness; the other novitiates slept soundly in their beds, but one bed was empty.

The chamber door opened slowly, letting light from the hall filter in while a shadow silently slipped out. Lexa got up to follow, shutting the door quietly behind her. "Luna? What are you doing?" she asked, catching the other girl from Trikru tiptoeing through the hallway.

Luna had changed out of her nightgown and was fully dressed in pants and boots, a sword was strapped to her waist and a pack was slung over her shoulder. She wore a black robe, the hood obscuring her face from view, but Lexa knew who it was even with the shadows cast over her deep brown eyes and wild mane of hair. She stopped in her tracks, letting Lexa close the distance between them before speaking.

"I'm doing what I told you I would," Luna whispered. "I'm doing what is best for our people."

Lexa stared at her a moment, trying to process what she was saying. And then it hit her. "You're running?" she asked. "You're running away? Abandoning the conclave?"

"Lexa, we both know that the other novitiates do not stand a chance against you. You are the Commander that our people need, not me. And I will not fight you," she explained.

"You don't know that!" Lexa replied, her voice rising but she quickly caught herself, careful not to draw attention from any patrolling guards. "What if I fall, Luna? Trikru needs one of us to become Commander. If you stay, we have a good chance at making that happen."

Luna shook her head. "I can't be the Commander that the people would need me to be. I'm not strong enough."

"You can't do this," Lexa continued. "They'll hunt you down. You'll be banished."

"At least out there I stand a chance, Lexa. Asking me to stay here is asking me to die."

"All of us are being asked to die so that the spirit of the Commander can choose its successor. Running away is selfish, Luna, and cowardly." Lexa could feel herself growing angrier by the minute, her green eyes burning.

Luna shook her head again. "No, Lexa, you're not understanding me. I'm willing to fight the other novitiates, I'm willing to kill them and do my duty, but I am not willing to kill you. You are the one that needs to win the conclave tomorrow, and I will not put that at risk. I will not fight you."

Lexa was silent for a moment, taking a deep breath to calm herself. She didn't want to fight Luna any more than Luna wanted to fight her. "Go," she said. "Do what you have to do to survive."

Luna nodded, breathing a sigh of relief. "Thank you," she whispered.

"No. Don't thank me. I will always do what is best for our people, Luna, and I can see that you are doing what you believe is best for them too. But, you can't come back here again. Running from the conclave is treason. If I become Heda, I will have to kill you."

"When you become Heda," Luna smiled. "I will be far away from here. I understand the weight of my actions and bear that responsibility, Lexa. We do what we must to survive. Earlier I told you that I do not know how to make sacrifices for the greater good, but this is my sacrifice to you."

Without warning, Luna took Lexa in her arms, embracing her tightly. Lexa stood rigidly for a moment, but allowed herself to relax. "Mebi oso na hit choda op nodotaim, Leksa kom Trikru."

Luna turned to leave, disappearing into the night. "May we meet again, Luna" Lexa whispered to the silence around her.


	11. Chapter 11

The novitiates filed in to the makeshift arena that had been constructed in the center of Polis, almost as if it had arisen overnight. A crowd had gathered to watch the dawning of a new Commander, but Lexa couldn't help but feel they were there to watch children die for sport. Titus had returned sometime that morning with Heda's body, and he sat in a chair overlooking the arena, ghostly pale as if he’d contracted some deadly flu. Costia stood beside him, and the delegates of the six clans of the coalition sat on either side of him.

Earlier, the novitiates had gathered in the throne room to pay their respects to the fallen Commander, laying flowers over her body before the Flame Keeper lit her pyre and returned her mortal vessel to the earth. Lexa wondered if the novitiates felled in the conclave that day would be given the same right. She didn't know what to expect, but one thing was certain: by the end of that day, there would be a new Heda.

The novitiates wore the traditional combat armor of the conclave, clad in shoulder guards, their arms bare. They were allowed to select the weapon that they chose to fight with, and Lexa felt the weight of her sword in its scabbard on her back. Any weapon would have sufficed for her, really, but her sword reminded her of home and of Anya, and if she died today, she would die with a keepsake of Trikru. As she thought of her mentor, her eyes scanned the crows, looking for her stoic face among the spectators but knowing she would not find her there.

Titus stood addressing the crowd. "Death is not the end," he shouted so that everyone could hear him, and instantly the hoard of people fell silent. "Today, we witness the rise of a new Commander, and the ascension of new hope. Let the conclave begin!"

Instantly the novitiates fanned out, drawing their weapons. Lexa thought that the conclave might be single combat, but she was wrong. This would be a free-for-all, all around blood bath. She stood white-knuckled and clutching her sword, waiting as the novitiates spread around the arena. The others seemed to be avoiding her; refusing to make eye contact or go anywhere near striking distance of her blade, almost as if she was a deadly snake poised to attack, and they were the prey.

She thought that she might get away with only having to take one life during the conclave, but her hopes quickly faded when she realized what the other novitiates were doing. They had circled up around her, and Lexa found herself in the middle of seven very dangerous looking children. They had planned this, without her knowledge, aiming to team up and take her out first, the weak banding together to take out the strong.

She caught sight of Ryder, the boy she'd sparred with the day before, and found a smug smirk on his face. This had been his plan. He couldn't beat her in single combat, so he figured he'd get the others to help him take her out and then there would be nobody left to stand in the way of his ascension. With Luna gone, it made perfect sense.

Lexa spared a glance at Titus. His expression remained impassive, but his face bore the lines of worry in his frown and he appeared as if he’d aged ten years since last she saw him. Beside him, Costia looked as if she was about to faint, her brow glistening with sweat and pain written in her delicate features. For a moment their eyes met, and Lexa felt some unspoken bond pass through the space between them. Costia was telling her to fight, willing her to live, begging her to survive.

Lexa took a deep, calming, breath and steadied her nerves, her green eyes turning to steel beneath her signature black war paint. She spun her sword in her hand and around her back, holding it up to challenge the other novitiates. "Let's do this," she said through gritted teeth.

The first of the novitiates rushed forward, one from in front of her and one from behind her, trying to catch her off guard. Lexa anticipated it, blocking the sword in front of her and the spinning quickly to block the strike that had been aimed at her back. The first novitiate stumbled out of the way off balance, and she quickly sunk her sword through his back. She thought that she would have hesitated in the moment but Titus had been right, despite their age, they would all aim to kill her and she was not about to die that day.

She spun on her heel again, ducking a spear that had been aimed at her head, and rolling out of the way of another strike. She popped to her feet and dug her sword up through the chest of the girl that had been standing over her, then kicked the body forwards, ripping her sword out and blocking a blow from behind her. Metal clashed against metal and the crowd roared, almost as if they were craving the blood that soaked the dirt before them.

One of the younger novitiates rushed forward, thrusting his spear towards her abdomen as she battled the sword of another boy. She jumped backwards, trying her best to dodge the strike, but she felt the metal of the spear meet her skin, tearing away the flesh on her arm. Lexa grunted in pain as black blood began to flow like a river from the wound, soaking her bare skin. She caught the shaft of the spear in her hand, ripping it away from the boy that had wounded her and turning to hurl it into the chest of another novitiate.

Ryder moved into position, trying to catch her off balance, but Lexa was quick. She sidestepped and deflected his sword landing a hard kick to his back that had him tumbling onto the ground in front of her. She moved to make the kill, but another girl was already on her, forcing her to make block after block. Lexa turned her strikes away as if they were nothing more than an annoyance, and in one effortless motion, swept the girl's legs out from under her and drove her sword down into her chest.  
She could feel herself growing tired, her muscles screaming, but she didn't have time to catch her breath before the remaining three novitiates were circling around her again like sharks stalking their prey. The crowd cheered and chanted her name, but she took no notice of it, her focus remaining entirely on the fight at hand. She glared at each of them, her eyes bearing down on them, and she could see the fear written in each of their faces.

Lexa spun her sword in her hand again, waiting patiently for the next attack. All three of the boys rushed at once, and Lexa felt a surge of adrenaline flow through her. She sidestepped the first attack, then blocked the second, throwing her elbow upward into the face of a novitiate and feeling his nose break on contact. He stumbled back and she used the moment of weakness to slash out, raking her sword across his throat. She rolled forward, picking up his sword as she popped up to her feet, now wielding two blades.

The remaining two novitiates, Ryder and another boy, breathed heavily and glared at her with hate-filled eyes. They attacked simultaneously, and she used her dual swords to deflect their blows, exchanging one block after another and launching her own strikes. They attacked with strength and speed, trying to throw her off balance and expose one weak spot in her guard, but Lexa remained focused and calm. It was as if she wielded death itself, manipulating it to her will.

The boys continued to pound on her defense, doing all that they could to break through. Their blades met rapidly in a clash of clanging that sounded as if they were aiming to bend the metal beneath their blows. Drawing from the strength within the deepest pits of her soul, Lexa blocked the second boy's strike with the sword in her left hand, and quickly thrust her right sword through his stomach. He looked shocked as his eyes rolled back in his head and a thin trail of black blood escaped his lips. And then there was just one.

Lexa threw her second sword to the ground and circled Ryder, matching his steps and staying in perfect balance. He glared at her with pure and utter hatred, and it reminded her of the Reapers back in the forest. They squared off, neither of them willing to make the first move, but Lexa remained calm, her resolve unwavering. Ryder rushed forward, losing his patience, and Lexa quickly stepped out of the way bringing the hilt of her sword down hard on the back of his head. He dropped to his knees in front of her, and Lexa quickly moved in, touching the blade of her sword to his throat as she stood behind him.

She looked up at Titus, breathing heavily, and he gave her a single nod. Glancing around at the arena, she saw the bodies of the other six novitiates on the ground, the dirt completely stained black with their blood. She felt her heartbeat pounding in her ears, beating with the rhythm of the crowd chanting her name. She had gone into the conclave not wanting to kill any of the novitiates, and had ended up slaughtering them all. It was a weight she would bear forever.

 

In one motion, she brought her blade down, ending the life of the last novitiate. She stood there in the middle of all the death she'd wrought, covered in blood as black as tar from head to toe and gasping for air. She felt an overwhelming sense of disgust, and it took all the strength left in her body to keep herself from vomiting. Lexa glanced towards Costia looking for any hint of revulsion, but found the girl's face impassive.

Titus stood, rising slowly from his chair. "The spirit of the Commander has chosen!" he shouted.


	12. Chapter 12

Lexa followed closely behind Titus as he led her through the tower to the topmost floors. Costia moved beside her, keeping a few inches of space between them, and Lexa thought she caught her averting her eyes, quickly glancing away as they stood in the thick weight of silence. She didn't blame her. She didn't know how she would be able to look at herself either. Titus brought her to a set of double doors and opened threw them open, the wood creaking loudly on hundred year old hinges.

"This is the Commander's bed chamber," he said. "Wash yourself and let Costia stitch your wound. I must prepare the ascension ritual," he explained.

Lexa nodded her understanding though she wasn't sure when she would ever be able to find the words to speak again. She shifted into the room, taking notice of the elaborate bed frame and the single tub that sat in the middle of the room, water steaming and waiting for her. The bed was draped in different furs, and behind it there was another balcony that overlooked the city. The midday sun shone brightly through the windows, and Lexa could feel her nerves beginning to calm.

"I'll be back for you in one hour," Titus said, closing the door behind him.

Lexa stood rooted in place, unsure of what to do next. Memories of the conclave played over and over in her mind and she wondered if she'd ever get them out of her head. She understood that what she did was unavoidable, but the pain of slaughtering children echoed deep in her heart. She knew now what Titus meant when he told her that to be Commander was to be ruthless; it was the only way to live with the horrors she had faced.

"Victory stands on the back of sacrifice, Lexa," Costia said, breaking the silence. Lexa had almost forgotten that the other girl was there and it took everything in her to blink back the tears in her eyes.

"What have I done?" she asked, finally finding her words, her voice broken behind muffled sobs. She thought that winning the conclave would have brought her joy and a sense of pride, but all it had brought her was pain and self-loathing.

Costia moved to stand behind her, gently unstrapping her battle armor. "You did what you had to to survive," she replied softly.

"Am I a monster?"

"No!" Costia said quickly. "Look at me." She pulled away Lexa's armor and grabbed her face in her hands, turning Lexa's green eyes to meet hers. "Push these thoughts from your head. We do what we must for our people."

Lexa nodded, slowly bringing her hands up to grasp Costia's wrists, holding her hands where they framed her face and taking comfort from a touch that wasn't meant to harm her. "Thank you," Lexa said, sucking in a deep breath to quell her nerves.

She turned from Costia, breaking their gaze and letting the moment slip away, too distraught to be swept up in the emotions that whirled in her chest whenever the other girl was near. Now was not the time to succumb to her feelings, she needed to prepare herself for the ascension ritual. If her body rejected the flame, it would kill her just as quickly as one of the other novitiates would have.

Lexa undressed while Costia waited with her back turned, letting her blood-soaked clothes fall to the floor, and then climbed into the tub. The water was warm and soothing against her skin, and she watched as clouds of black dissipated from her flesh, turning the bath a murky ink color. She dunked her head beneath the surface and let the world fall silent around her, dulled by the weight of the water above her. When she surfaced, she felt at peace, as if she was not only washing away the blood of battle but washing away the burden of it as well.

She draped her arm over the side of the tub, letting Costia deftly begin to stitch her wound closed. The gash was deep and still spewing blood, but the tattoo of her clan would cover the scar nicely once it healed.

"The way you fight," Costia began, "It's unlike anything I've ever seen. You were born for this."

Lexa stared at Costia as she worked on her arm, her blond hair falling in curtains around her face, her eyes stern with concentration. Lexa found herself staring at this woman a lot, and for a moment she let herself wonder what it would be like to hold her. "Maybe I was," she replied, forcing the thought from her head. "Not everyone could kill children so ruthlessly."

"Your actions today will light the way towards a better future for our people, Lexa. Sometimes we have to sacrifice the few to save the many," Costia said, echoing the words that Anya had made her believe before.

Costia finished stitching the wound, and Lexa rose from the tub, wrapping a towel around her aching body. "Thank you," she said. "And thank you for being here for me."

"You're Heda now," Costia answered. "It is my duty."

"I'm not Heda yet."

Costia laughed and the tone was almost like a melody. Lexa wondered what could possibly be funny. "You really don't see it do you?" she asked.

"See what?"

"The Commander chose you the moment you arrived in Polis. It was always going to be you," she said, and Lexa thought she caught a hint of double meaning in her voice and irresistible longing in her eyes. "Come, I'll help you dress for the ascension ceremony."

Lexa allowed Costia to lead her over to a wooden wardrobe, pulling out a deep purple gown from within. She slipped into the dress and let the other girl pull the straps onto her shoulders. It was elegant and flowed down to just below her knees, a single slit on the left side rising all the way up to her thigh. Costia weaved her hair into braids, pulling it up off the back of her neck and letting it fall in strands down the front of her shoulders. With the war paint washed from Lexa's face and the blood of battle cleansed, she looked young, almost vulnerable.

"You look beautiful," Costia whispered in her ear from over her shoulder.

Lexa turned to her, their eyes meeting, and for a moment the entire world seemed to fade away around them. She felt Costia's hand sliding over her cheek, her skin electric beneath the longing in her touch. They stared at each other, locked in a world of their own, fighting a battle between feelings and duty. And then a knock came at the door, and both of them jumped away quickly, their moment shattered as reality set back in.

"Enter!" Lexa called.

The door swung open and Titus entered the room. He wore a ceremonial black robe, gold stitching banded around the sleeves and hood. "It is time, Lexa," he said.

Lexa nodded and followed him into the hallway, Costia closely behind them. They took the elevator up to the throne room where the chamber had been prepared for the ascension ritual. A red velvet couch sat in the center of the room surrounded by hundreds and hundreds of candles, the light flickering gently off the walls. The sun had begun to set, and the room was bathed in the orange glow of dusk, each of the delegates of the coalition sat on their chairs awaiting her arrival. They stood and bowed respectfully when she entered the room.

"Today, we gather to witness to the ascension of Leksa kom Trikru as she takes her rightful place as Heda, Commander of the Coalition," Titus announced. "It is customary for the winner of the conclave to bear the mark of the fallen novitiates. Sit, Lexa, and let them forever be remembered in your flesh and blood."

Like she could ever forget? Lexa lowered herself onto the couch at the center of the room, allowing Costia to unlace her dress, exposing her bare back. She sat for what felt like hours while a tattoo artist needled fresh ink into her skin, and when it was done, her back bore seven circles for the seven novitiates that had been killed that morning, woven into an intricate design.

Titus moved to stand over her. "Now, for the passing of the flame," he said.  
He unrolled what looked like a pouch of tools and Lexa watched as he pulled out a tiny box. On the front, a skull was engraved, the golden cog symbol of the coalition sitting prominently between the eyes. He popped the lid off, and took out what looked like a tiny blue chip. "Hold still," he whispered.

Lexa felt the sharp sting of a knife cutting into the skin at the back of her neck where her spine met the base of her skull. Then, her world exploded in a burst of pain far worse than anything she'd ever felt. Something was embedding itself in the nerves of her spine, and it felt as if a torch was being held to her skin. Her vision blurred and a wave of vertigo washed over her, she felt herself cry out, and Costia's worried eyes were the last things she saw as she faded into a world of unconsciousness.


	13. Chapter 13

Lexa drifted aimlessly through time and space as if floating helplessly and untethered into oblivion. The pain in the back of her head still throbbed, drumming against her skull like a hammer, and then slowly it began to fade away. The blackness before her seemed to grow brighter as if emerging from a long dark tunnel.

_Suddenly, she was standing in the middle of Polis, though the city wasn't how she remembered it from earlier that day. It was in shambles, the streets and buildings buried under a mountain of ash, the tower smoldering in flames high above her. Over head, a storm raged, thunder and lightening clashing in the midst of a radiation filled sky. Before her, a group of figures moved through the darkness, scurrying towards her like ants._

_"I'm here to help!" she shouted in a voice that was not her own._

_Then she was falling through space again as if being ripped into another dimension. She opened her eyes and was looking out across a vast expanse of ocean. In the distance, a fleet of three ships bobbed up and down, slowly coming closer. "We are not alone here," she said, but this time she spoke with a male's voice, deep and raspy._

_Lexa felt as if she was just a presence in the back of someone else's mind, a passenger, helpless to act and only able to watch. The scene shifted again and she was sitting on the throne in the tower, high above Polis. Twelve people stood before her, each of them bearing the tattoos and marks of the twelve clans. "We gather here to discuss terms of peace," she spoke. "Twelve clans united under one leader."_

_"That leader will not be you!" a man yelled. Stepping forward, Lexa watched as he pulled a knife from where it was hidden within his boot. He hurled it at her and it sunk heavy into her chest, the world going black around her again._

_There was something familiar about that last scene that Lexa wracked her brain to place. She'd heard a story before, a long time ago from Anya, about the Commander who died at the hands of an assassin in the middle of a peace summit. The event had divided the clans, sending them into chaos, and they'd been mercilessly at war ever since. Then, Lexa realized that these were not dreams, but memories of the Commanders that had come before her._

_Her vision came into focus again and she stood in the middle of a battlefield. Hundreds of bodies laid dead at her feet, the moans of the wounded echoed high off the canyon walls around her. This time, she was in her own body, the soldiers locked in battle passing right through her as if she was a ghost. Heda stood next to her, and Lexa realized that this was a memory from just days before._

_"You've done well, Leksa kom Trikru," Heda spoke, her gaze falling on Lexa beside her._

_"Heda?" Lexa asked. "What is this?"_

_"I knew that my spirit would choose you, even before my death. You will change everything."_

_Lexa stared at the battlefield before her. The Ice Nation army stood atop a ridge, funneling the coalition in to the canyon below. It was a kill zone, and Lexa watched as her warriors were being slaughtered. "Why are you showing me this?" Lexa asked, feeling the pain of every death as if it were her own._

_"Because you need to see what you are up against. There are lessons you must learn before you can even attempt to achieve what our goal has been all along."_

_"Our goal?"_

_Heda nodded, a faint smile playing on the corners of her lips. "The salvation of the human race: Peace. You wanted this even before you took the flame; that is how I knew my spirit would choose you."_

_Lexa stood helplessly as a group of coalition warriors were picked off by the Azgeda archers. "So much death," Lexa whispered, agony ripping through her heart like a knife._

_"That has always been the way of our people. We kill those that hold different beliefs; we fear anyone who is different because we fear the unknown; we silence those who speak out because we do not wish to hear a voice that differs from our own. Violence is the very nature of our being. Blood must have blood."_

_"Can it not be stopped?" Lexa asked._

_The Commander looked to Lexa, their eyes meeting in what felt like complete symmetry. "That is up to you now," she replied._

_A warrior barreled towards the Commander on horseback, his arm bleeding profusely from an arrow protruding through his shoulder. "Heda!" he shouted. "We must retreat!"_

_The Commander nodded. "Go," she said. "Sound the retreat. I will take anyone willing to die for me and hold off the Ice Nation army while the coalition makes its escape."_

_"But Heda, you'll be massacred," the man protested._

_Heda held up her hand, silencing him. "Go!" she commanded._

_"Don't do this," Lexa whispered as the warrior rode away. Behind them, retreat horns started to blare, echoing loud off the canyon walls._

_"It is already done. This is a memory."_

_"How could you just stand here and die?" she asked._

_Heda smiled. "You have much to learn, Lexa. Death is not the end. Sometimes we must conceit a battle to win a war."_

_Lexa felt the weight of her words sink in. "Victory stands on the back of sacrifice," she whispered, repeating Costia's words._

_"Now you are beginning to understand," the Commander replied. "Ai gonplei ste odon," she said, drawing her sword. "My fight is over, but your fight has just begun."_

_"I will not fail you, Heda," Lexa replied._

_The Commander put her hand on Lexa's shoulder, and for a moment it felt almost as if her touch was real, warm and comforting against her skin. Heda turned, her blue eyes set hard beneath her war paint. "On me!" she yelled, rushing towards the heart of the Ice Nation army. The warriors of the coalition followed her fiercely, shouting their war cries, knowing that they followed her into the arms of death._

_Lexa closed her eyes and could see the battle raging through the eyes of the Commander, once again becoming a passenger. She watched as Heda and her unit took down Ice Nation warriors one after another, dispatching them quickly as if they commanded death itself. Behind them, the rest of the coalition fled to safety._

_The Commander fought on, not once wavering in her resolution, not even as the soldiers who battled by her side were cut down one by one. Lexa could feel the Commander growing tired and watched as she was slowly surrounded by the Ice Nation warriors, reminding her very much of her conclave._

_Heda found herself in the middle of a fight circle, an Azgeda warrior stepping up to face her as the crowd around them cheered. She was drenched in blood, her clothes now matching the crimson red of her cape, blue eyes cold beneath the black war paint. The man before her wore armor of his own, his shoulders draped in blood-soaked furs, a black cape flowing behind his back. His face was lined in the traditional scars of Ice Nation royalty._

_For a moment it looked as if it would be a fair fight; one on one, single combat. But Lexa could only watch in horror as the Ice Nation prince smiled, his warriors rushing forward and grabbing Heda by the arms, pinning her in place. The prince walked idly towards her like a lion stalking its prey, and then, chaos erupted._

_The Ice Nation warriors scattered in panic as a band of coalition cavalry bore down on them. Heda's gaze shifted from the Azgeda general to the shambling remains of his war party. Titus led the charge of riders, cutting down Azgeda like weeds, but he was too late. The Commander's view returned to the prince just in time to see him thrust his spear through her abdomen._

_Lexa felt Heda's pain, burning like a hot torch pressed to her stomach. The Commander sunk to her knees as the coalition riders surrounded them. She fell to her back as Titus crowded over her, gathering her head in his lap._

_There were tears in his eyes and an expression of pure pain flitted across his hardened features. "Yu gonplei ste odon," he whispered, and then the world fell away into blackness._

Lexa opened her eyes, blinking away the visions as if they were the remnants of some terrible dream. She was back in her own body, safe in the throne room in Polis. Titus lingered over her as he had only moments before. "Welcome back," he said, helping Lexa to her feet. "Long live Heda!" he shouted, addressing the room. "And may the Commander's fight go on."

Lexa watched as the ambassadors of the coalition, the sentries, Titus, and Costia bowed before her.


	14. Chapter 14

Lexa sat in the Commander's chambers, her chambers, later that night. She breathed in a deep sigh as the memories from her ascension played in her head. Titus stood by the door with Costia, listening as Lexa described what she had seen in her visions.

"A Commander's ascension, the passing of the flame, is truly a wonder," he whispered, firm and unfailing in his beliefs. "You must be exhausted, Heda. We will let you rest. Tomorrow, your duties as commander begin."

Lexa nodded and let Titus shift out of the room. "Costia," she called. "Would you stay a moment?"

Costia smiled, gently closing the door behind the Flame Keeper. "What is it, Heda?" she asked.

"Please," Lexa said, sinking down onto the couch. "You don't have to call me that."

Costia made her way over to where Lexa sat, kneeling beside her to check the bandage over the wound on her arm. Instantly, Lexa felt her skin react to her touch, her blood pounding with desire. "Why did you have me stay, Lexa?" Costia asked.

Lexa stared at her, holding her gaze. "You know why," she whispered, catching Costia's hand in hers.

Costia's cheeks flushed red and she glanced away nervously. "I was worried when you passed out at the ascension ceremony," she admitted. "I've never seen an ascension before, I thought for a moment that you were...gone."

Lexa read genuine fear in her expression. "Do I scare you?" she asked, afraid that she had misread Costia's intentions. After all, she had just slaughtered seven children right in front of her that morning.

"No," Costia said, meeting Lexa's eyes again. "The only thing that scares me is the thought of you getting hurt," she said softly. "The thought of losing you."

Their gazes locked together and the world around them disappeared, bathing them in darkness and candlelight. Lexa pulled Costia towards her, their faces inches apart, and she could feel her breath hot on her lips. The tension in the air between them was building, threatening to burst, weeks of pent up emotion begging to spill over. When she could no longer stand it, Costia finally closed the distance, engulfing Lexa's mouth in a passionate kiss that lit a fire deep within her soul. Lexa kissed her back with such intensity that if they broke away, the entire world might be ablaze with flames around them.

 

Costia pushed Lexa onto her back, climbing on top of her as she fiddled with the laces on the back of her dress. Lexa wrapped her arms around her, tangling her fingers in her hair, holding her mouth to hers like she was the only thing that was keeping her alive. The passion between them exploded with the force of the bombs that had destroyed the world, and they remained there long into the night. They lost themselves within each other, forgetting about pain and duty, and for a few simple hours, they let themselves do nothing but feel.

Lexa awoke to a knock at the door, Costia still fast asleep in her arms. She shot out of bed, draping a sheet around her naked body as Titus entered the room. He looked from Lexa, green eyes wide with surprise, to Costia sitting straight up in bed expression drenched in horror.

"Heda, forgive me—”

"Out!" Lexa commanded, and instantly the Flame Keeper shuffled out of the room.

The girls exchanged a wary glance. "I should go," Costia whispered, sliding out of bed and pulling her clothes on.

"I'll speak with Titus," Lexa said, sensing Costia's fear. She was still the Flame Keeper's novitiate, and she knew he would not approve of her actions.

"Oh, don't worry, I'm sure he will speak with you," she replied, a hint of uneasiness buried in her voice.

Lexa caught Costia's hand before she could turn to leave, pulling her in close. She pressed a gentle kiss to her lips, allowing their eyes to meet. "It's going to be okay," she promised.

Costia gave her a faint smile and then fled quickly out of the room, leaving Lexa alone in silence. Lexa took a moment to gather herself, and then made her way over to the wooden wardrobe to get dressed for the day. Five minutes later, another knock came at the door.

"Enter!" Lexa called, pulling her hair into a single braid down her right shoulder.  
Titus shifted into the room again, his expression chastising, his eyes disapproving. "Heda," he began. "This cannot happen again. Love is weakness," he cautioned.

"You say love is weakness, yet I see that you care for her too," Lexa argued, her tone flat. "You look at her like she is your daughter."

"I am not Commander," he replied. "I can afford to be weak. You are Heda; to be Commander is to be alone. Please heed my teachings," he begged. "Your enemies will use her against you."

Lexa sighed, her heart aching between the lines of feeling and duty. "What is it that brings you here, Titus?" she asked, letting the subject drop.

"The leaders of the coalition are gathered in the throne room, as is the Ice Nation war council. You must make your first judgment as commander," he explained. "Come. We shouldn't keep them waiting."


	15. Chapter 15

Lexa followed Titus into the elevator and stood with him in silence as it lurched upward. When they reached the top floor, Costia stood there waiting for them. Tear tracks stained her cheeks, her blue eyes red from crying, and Lexa could tell that Titus had given her the same lecture. In her hands, she clutched the shoulder guard of the Commander.

Lexa allowed Costia to fit it into place on her shoulder, the red cape flowing elegantly behind her. She stood still as Costia framed her eyes in black war paint, drawing comfort from the feel of her hands against her skin. They did not speak as Titus loomed over them and when she was finished, Costia pressed the golden cog, the symbol of the leader of the coalition, between Lexa's eyes.

She stood impassive, hands folded behind her back, green eyes glowing fiercely, and then she pushed through the double doors into the throne room. A crowd had gathered, the generals of the coalition and their ambassadors stood waiting as the room fell silent. Lexa made her way to the throne and turned to look at them. Every single person in the room dropped to their knees, bowing to her in a show of respect.

"Rise," she commanded, allowing her coalition to stand.

Lexa lowered herself into the throne for the first time, feeling like for once in her life she was exactly where she belonged. Titus stood by her side, an expression of pride about his face. The generals stared at her, and she felt as if they were passing judgments of their own. No doubt they had seen her fight in the conclave, but that had been a battle against seven children. It would take more than slaughtering young kids to earn these hardened warriors respect.

The doors swung open loudly and a group of sentries escorted three people into the room. Lexa recognized the Ice Queen instantly; her skin was pale, blond hair falling around her shoulders, her eyes as cold as ice. She wore a mess of furs and a crown that looked as if it was made from winter itself. Deep scars framed her face and Lexa felt a chill just looking at her.

A young man stood at her side. He was built like a rock and had the clear strength and arrogance of a skilled warrior. He also bore the scars of Azgeda on his cheeks; his deep brown hair was pulled into a braid behind his head. He stared at Lexa and she shifted uncomfortably beneath his gaze.

The third person was a prisoner, his wrists bound in chains as he struggled against his handlers. His eyes were furious and wild and it took four men just to restrain him. A knot welled in the pit of Lexa's stomach as she realized just who this man was. She had seen him before on the field of battle, thrusting his spear through Heda's stomach.

"What is the meaning of this?" Lexa asked, feeling anger flood her sharp voice.

Titus spoke so that all could hear. "Queen Nia and Prince Roan of Azgeda have come to negotiate the release of Prince Brutus, also of Azgeda," Titus announced.

The room erupted into angry whispers as the generals of the coalition voiced their dismay. Lexa held up her hand, instantly silencing them. "I will hear what the Ice Queen has to say," Lexa called, catching Titus's nod of approval.

"Leksa kom Trikru," Queen Nia began, her voice hard and full of disdain.

"You will show Heda respect in this chamber!" Titus yelled, cutting her off before she could continue.

Queen Nia eyed him with a cold glare that shot daggers. "Commander," she said, beginning again. "Azgeda demands the release of its sworn prince."

"Your prince is a prisoner of war, responsible for the death of my predecessor. Why should he go free?" Lexa asked.

"Those are just accusations," the Ice Queen replied, tone sharp and growing sharper still.

"Accusations? I know these 'accusations' to be true. I've seen it with my own eyes; the Commanders before me live on within me. Your son is guilty. So again, I ask you why should he go free?"

"Because Azgeda has twenty of your warriors. Our own prisoners of war," she answered, changing tactics. "I propose a trade. Our prince for your warriors, one life for twenty."

Again the room erupted in voices, this time shouts of anger and cries for justice filled the halls. Some of the delegates preached for mercy to save the captured soldiers, while the generals cried out for blood. Titus shouted for silence from beside Lexa, but his voice went unheard as upheaval spread through the room.

_"Sacrifice a few to save many,"_ a voice from one of the previous Commanders echoed in Lexa's head. It was the voice of the first Commander from the vision of Polis just after the nukes had hit. _"This man is an icon to his people, a leader, and a fierce warrior. Letting him live would cost more lives than sacrificing twenty to see that justice is done,"_ the first Commander explained.

Lexa stood quickly in her seat. "Em plenti!" she shouted, instantly bringing the voices around her to a stop.

"Heda," Titus whispered. "Think wisely about this."

Lexa's eyes fell upon the Ice Queen, their gazes locked in a battle of dominance, both refusing to yield. "Jus drein jus daun," Lexa said, her words cutting through the silence. "Blood must have blood."

Lexa stood, drawing her sword and moving to stand before the prince. The sentries forced him down to his knees as he struggled against them. One of the guards bashed him in the back of the head with the shaft of his spear and his struggle ceased. Slowly, he brought his gaze up to meet Lexa's, her eyes blaring with the spirit of justice towards the man who had slaughtered the Commander before her.

The Ice Queen looked on in horror as Lexa buried her sword to the hilt in the prince's chest. She pulled it out, covered in blood as the man's life drained from his eyes. Lexa turned her gaze on Queen Nia and her remaining son, channeling strength and wisdom from the Commanders that had come before.

"Have your army surrender. Join the coalition so that the bloodshed can end, or meet the same fate," she cautioned. "I will let you both live as a gesture of peace, but go knowing that I will not rest until the twelve clans are united beneath me. Justice has been done here today."

Queen Nia's eyes burned with fire, wet with tears and fueled red by hatred and vengeance at the death of her eldest son. "You have not begun to know the meaning of justice, child," the Ice Queen spat. "You will die for what you've done."

"Guards!" Lexa called. "Escort Queen Nia and Prince Roan to the city gates!"

The sentries ushered the Ice Nation leaders from the throne room, dragging the body of their fallen prince behind them.


	16. Chapter 16

"You performed your duty well today, Heda," Titus said after the war council had concluded and the coalition leaders had gone their separate ways for the evening. "Sentimentality did not stand in the way of your decision. As Commander, you must recognize that not everyone can be saved. Victory—”

"Stands on the back of sacrifice," Lexa finished for him.

He nodded. Costia stood silently beside them, listening but keeping her eyes trained elsewhere. Lexa sat on the throne, the last threads of daylight disappearing into the horizon over Polis. Seeing the throne room empty gave her a sense of peace, as if just for a moment the world was not torn, and she was not fighting two wars between the clans and the Mountain Men.

"Today you sacrificed the few to save the many," Titus continued. "And you showed the ambassadors and generals of the coalition your strength as well as your wisdom. Although, I feel that allowing the Ice Queen to leave with her life was a mistake."

Lexa sighed, staring at the spot where she had executed the eldest prince of Azgeda; the floor had been cleaned of his blood, but the scent of iron still hung thick in the air. "Killing her would have turned her into a martyr. It would have done nothing but added fire to fuel the hatred of their armies."

_"You're right,"_ the voice of the first Commander rang out in her head. She would have to get used to sharing her thoughts with the ranks of men and women who had come before her. For now, she was just thankful that it appeared only the first Commander was speaking to her.

"Perhaps. Or perhaps it would have crushed their cause altogether," Titus offered. "The clans that fight for Ice Nation only follow them out of fear. And because not all of them believe as strongly as we do in the spirit of the Commander."

"No," Lexa said. "If we are going to put an end to this needless bloodshed, we have to turn the five clans that follow Azgeda to our side. Killing the Ice Queen would not accomplish that. Once Ice Nation stands alone, they will have no choice but to surrender or be destroyed."

"How do you propose we do that, Heda?"

Lexa thought for a moment, wracking her brain to come up with a solution that no Commander before her had found. "I don't know," Lexa sighed. "I must think on it."

"Very well," Titus replied. "I will leave you to your thoughts," he said, bowing and then sweeping out of the room, shutting the doors behind him.

Lexa was now alone with Costia, silence hanging like a thick fog in the air as the shadows from the fire basins danced on the walls. Lexa stood, wandering out onto the balcony to overlook Polis in the early evening moonlight. There was a cloud cover over head, obscuring the moon and casting the world in a dim gray glow. The air was so cold that Lexa could see her breath, and she knew that winter was upon them. Costia followed silently behind her, doing her best to maintain a measure of space between them.

"What's wrong?" Lexa asked, keeping her gaze fixed on Mount Weather in the distance, staring at something she hated to hide her eyes from something she was sure she loved.

"Lexa I— we can't do this," Costia answered, her voice trembling.

Lexa felt as if her heart was being squeezed in her chest. "You spoke with Titus didn't you?" she asked.

"It's not his fault. He is just doing his duty as Fleimkappa, and I must do mine as well."

"Where does it say that we are not allowed to have feelings?" Lexa asked, feeling anger rise in her voice. "Must our lives consist only of death and killing?"

"No," Costia whispered. "That's why you must change the way that we do things. You are the only person that can bring peace to the twelve clans, and I am nothing but a distraction."

Lexa kept her eyes trained on the mountain in the distance, holding back the sting of tears that welled within them. "Love is not weakness," she whispered.

"Maybe not," Costia replied. "But your people need you. You need to remain strong and focused. You need to put an end to the killing and the wars."

"What about what I need?" Lexa asked.

"Lexa," Costia said softly. She reached out, wanting nothing more than to pull Lexa to her and tell her how she really felt, but instead she let her hand fall back to her side. "I'm sorry," she said.

Lexa shook her head, letting her feelings turn to stone. "No, I understand. To be Commander is to be alone. I know that now."

"Maybe one day, when you have finally brought peace to the clans, you and I can act on these feelings."

"Maybe."

"But right now, we must make this sacrifice for the sake of our people," Costia explained. She shifted her weight behind Lexa and pressed a gentle kiss to the side of her neck that sent shivers down Lexa's spine. "I'm sorry," she whispered in the young Commander's ear.

Costia turned and fled the room, letting the tears flow like endless rivers down her cheeks. She held back her sobs until she got out into the hallway, and Lexa listened as the door shut loudly behind her. It took every ounce of strength that Lexa had not to go after her and beg her to reconsider. She stayed rooted in place, staring out at the mountain as her own tears stung her eyes.

"To be Commander is to be alone," she repeated to herself.

_"A necessary sacrifice,"_ the Commander's voice within her head replied, reminding Lexa that she was never truly alone.

"When do the sacrifices end?" she asked.

_"They don't."_


	17. Chapter 17

Lexa consumed herself with the duties of Commander over the next few weeks, doing all that she could to settle into her new position. She knew that she had been born to be Heda, and that her Nightblood was no result of chance. The voice of the first Commander had told her so. What she never realized is how taxing her duties would be.

She bore the responsibility of overseeing the actions and movements of her coalition, but with it also came the knowledge that every life lost was on her hands. She spent her days locked in war council with Titus and her ambassadors, tracking the movements of Azgeda and their allies. Beyond that, it also fell to her to hear the complaints and demands of her subjects. By the end of the day, she wanted nothing more than to find peace in the oblivion of sleep.

But as she slept, she dreamed, seeing the lives of the past Commanders play out before her; even in sleep her duties as Heda never ended. She found solace in the wisdom that the commanders of the past had to offer, and all their voices seemed to be geared towards one thing: Peace. She must bring peace to the twelve clans.

She hadn't seen much of Costia in recent weeks, and Lexa couldn't help but feel as if the girl was avoiding her. When they did come across one another, it was in awkward silence or simple pleasantries. Lexa wondered if Costia was feeling the same struggle as she was, or if she really had chosen duty over feelings. If it was the latter, she wondered why it was so hard for her to do the same.

Titus pretended not to notice the tension, but every time Lexa and Costia were in the same room, she could feel his disapproving glances weighing on her. She understood why he was so adamant in ensuring that no further feelings passed between them; he was just trying to protect them both. Lexa knew that if Ice Nation found out that Costia was someone she cared for, they wouldn't hesitate to kill her. She was like a daughter to Titus, and the young Commander recognized his fear in losing her.

She also recognized that having an emotional attachment of such could be used against her; she'd seen it in her dreams. It was how the first commander had died. Becca Promheda had fallen in love with a brave and fierce warrior of the coalition army. The warrior had been wounded in battle and Becca had rushed to his aid, but also into the arms of a trap, thus the mantra: To be Commander is to be alone.

Her dreams never let her forget it either. In fact, four other Commanders had died in place of or for the ones that they loved, and those were the visions she seemed to have most often. They were cautions and warnings that love was weakness, and she knew that the other commanders could sense the struggle she was having between her head and her heart. Yet, in spite of all the warnings, she couldn't help but feel the reason that the commanders continued to make the same mistake, despite the risks, was because love was worth it.

She'd been asleep, watching the Commanders before her die time and time again because they'd allowed themselves to feel, when frantic knocking woke her from her sleep. It was early morning, the sun outside had not yet begun to rise, and she knew instantly that something was wrong. She jumped out of bed, throwing on clothes as quickly as possible and instinctively reaching for her sword.

"Enter!" she yelled.

Titus rushed into the room, a look of panic on his face. For a moment Lexa's thoughts wandered to Costia, and cold fear quickly shot down her spine. She took a deep breath, steadying her nerves and forcing the thoughts aside. "What is it Fleimkappa?" she asked, her tone flat.

"Riders," he replied. "From TonDC."

Lexa felt a wave of fear wash over her and her worry for Costia was instantly replaced by worry for Anya and Indra. "What has happened?"

Titus shook his head. "They demanded to speak with you. You must come quickly," he answered.

Lexa strapped her shoulder armor into place and sheathed her sword across her back, then quickly followed Titus out of the room. They rode the elevator in silence to the top floor; all the while Lexa was shifting her stance nervously and dreading the reasons why riders from TonDC would demand an audience in the middle of the night.

She swooped into the throne room, her very presence commanding attention from every set of eyes. She glanced over the party from TonDC, looking for Anya or any familiar face. She recognized them all, for she had grown up with them, but there was only one rider that she wished to hear from.

"Lincoln?" she asked.

He looked as if he'd aged years from the last time she'd seen him just a few months before. His body had filled out and he stood taller, a warrior ready for battle, and no longer a scared child as were her last memories of him. He wore thick furs to protect him from the cold of winter, but his head was shaved, a black tattoo snaking up the back of his skull.

He bowed before Lexa. "Heda," he said.

"What has happened?" she asked again, her patience starting to wear very thin.

"It's Ice Nation," Lincoln replied. "Their army closes in on TonDC as we speak. Anya sent us before Azgeda could block the roads."

Lexa felt hatred burning in her heart and did her best to quell it back. "We must act quickly," Lexa replied. "Titus, have the ambassadors send riders to the generals of the coalition. Mobilize their armies and march for TonDC."

"Costia, go!" Titus said, instantly delegating the duty to his Second. Costia rushed from the room to wake the ambassadors and ensure the movement of the coalition army.

"They won't get there in time," Lincoln sad. "TonDC will be rubble by the time the coalition army reaches it."

"I will take my guard and ride back with you," Lexa replied.

"Lexa," Titus interjected. "If you are there when the Ice Nation army strikes, you will be killed. We must wait for the generals to move into position."

"TonDC is my home!" she shouted. "I will not see it laid to waste at the hands of Azgeda!"

Titus's eyes went dark, his expression that of a chastising father. "The Ice Queen knows that you care for those people," he said sternly. "An attack on TonDC is a direct attack on you, you cannot let your anger drive you into a trap."

"Then what do you suggest I do, Titus? Sit here and do nothing while my people are slaughtered?" Lexa asked, her tone sharp and biting.

Her teacher sighed deeply. "I suggest you wait. Anya was your mentor, she is smart. You must have faith that she will come up with a plan, and you will march to TonDC with the rest of the coalition."

Lexa stared straight ahead, her mind spinning as she weighed her options, few of them that there were. "Like hell I will," she spat. This was one sacrifice that she could not force herself to make. "I'll take my guard. We ride for TonDC at first light."

"Lexa please!" Titus shouted. " I will not let you ride to your death as the Commander before you did! You must put your feelings aside and think rationally. If this were any other village, you'd wait for the coalition!"

"Commander," Lincoln interrupted before Lexa could reply. "The Flame Keeper is right. Anya would tell you to accept this sacrifice."

 _"Listen to the boy,"_ Becca's voice whispered through her head.

Lexa could feel her body trembling with trepidation. She knew that they were right; she knew that riding in to battle outnumbered would get her killed. She had to wait for the coalition army, even if it meant having to accept the loss of her mentor and the destruction of her home.

She sighed deeply, breathing out her frustration. "Very well," she resigned. "We wait for word from the generals."


	18. Chapter 18

As it turned out, they did not have to wait long for word. A few hours later, a rider arrived with message that the Boat Clan and Trikru armies were both within an eight-hour march from TonDC. Lexa gathered her guard, Titus and Costia, and the riders from TonDC and quickly departed. If they rode fast enough, they could arrive at the village at the same time as the coalition.

Lexa rode at the center of a large group of sentries, Titus on her left and her personal guard, Gustus, on her right. The first snowfall had been weeks ago; it clung to the ground and trees, burying the land in a blanket of white. She wore furs to keep warm, her shoulder guard strapped tightly above the layers of clothes, red cape looking like blood against the snow. The air was bitter cold, and Lexa could feel the sting of the wind biting against her cheeks as they galloped towards TonDc.

She prayed that they would not be too late, that TonDC, and Anya, would still be standing when they got there. She realized that no matter how hard she tried to put duty before feelings, there would always be someone that she'd risk her life for. If it wasn't Costia, it was Anya, and if not Anya, then the rest of her people from Trikru. She knew that emotional attachments were dangerous, yet she could not bring herself to sever them.

Some hours later, Lexa caught the smell of smoke in the air and could see a column of it billowing over the trees up ahead. Fear gripped her heart like a vice and she spurred her war party to move faster. As they approached TonDC, she expected to hear the cries of battle or to come across Ice Nation warriors, but instead, all was quiet. Fire gripped some of the trees surrounding the village, but the walls of TonDC were still intact.

As they neared the gates, archers from the trees shouted, announcing their arrival. Lexa rode quickly into the center of TonDC, scanning the faces of the villagers. Relief flooded over her as she saw Anya pushing through to the front of the crowd, Indra following closely behind. Forgetting all composure, Lexa hopped off her horse and rushed into the arms of her mentor, gripping her so tightly that the woman struggled to breathe in her firm grasp.

She quickly recovered and stood stoically as the villagers bowed in respect. "Indra," she said, gripping the other woman's forearm. "It's good to see you."

"You as well, Heda," Indra replied, bowing her head.

"I was afraid we would not make it in time," Lexa said, turning to Anya. "I see we beat the coalition army here as well."

Anya nodded, motioning to the flaming trees. "You didn't make it in time," she replied. "Ice Nation was marching on us, but they did not anticipate the Mountain Men. A lot has changed in your absence," Anya said.

"Tell me what happened," Lexa urged.

"Since winter began, Trigedakru has been staying within the walls of its villages. I convened a meeting with the other village leaders and we discussed the best way to hold off the Mountain Men and their Reapers was to starve them out. Our people have not been venturing out, our food stores are holding, and we've been able to hold off Reaper attacks with our archers," she explained.

"And what of Ice Nation?"

"The Ice Nation army marched through the woods, but they do not know these parts the way we do. The acid fog claimed many of their lives, and the Reapers dragged the ones that escaped into the mines. Azgeda and the clans that follow them suffered many losses today."

Lexa never thought she'd be happy to hear of the Mountain Men wiping out entire clans of warriors, and she scorned herself for feeling relief. She knew that by no means were the Mountain Men trying to help TonDC, but simply that Azgeda had laid out a feast before them, and the winter had made them hungry.

"Are there any Ice Nation left in the area?" Lexa asked.

"We don't know—”

As if on key, an arrow sunk into the dirt at Lexa's feet while four villagers dropped to the ground writhing in pain. Panic erupted and the villagers scattered as a hail of arrows rained down on them. Gustus reacted quickly, holding his massive frame over Lexa and ushering her towards the nearest hut.

"Ice Nation archers!" someone shouted.

Lexa glanced around frantically searching for Anya and Indra and saw them duck into a nearby shelter. Titus was by her side, using his body to shield her from the arrow storm as Gustus had done. Lexa looked in every direction, searching for Costia, her heart pounding heavily in her chest.

"We're surrounded!" a voice yelled.

"Costia!" Lexa shouted. "Where is Costia!"

Lexa was about to give in to her panic when she spotted Costia some fifteen yards away, cowering behind a wooden cart as arrows rained down on her. They were at the doorway of a shelter, but Lexa instantly changed direction, making a break for her just as Titus ducked inside the hut. She could hear him shouting in rage behind her as she sprinted for Costia. Gustus followed close as arrows whipped by them, cutting down frantic villagers in all directions.

They reached Costia, her blue eyes wide with terror and tears streaming heavily down her cheeks. Lexa pulled her into her arms and dragged her in the direction of safety. Even beneath Gustus's massive frame, they were still exposed, and an arrow sunk deep into the flesh of Lexa's thigh. She cried out in pain as her pace faltered, stumbling forward and trying to keep her awkward balance. Costia held to her tightly, supporting Lexa's weight as Gustus wrapped her arm around his shoulders and pulled her into the nearest doorway.

Once inside, Lexa dropped to the ground, an arrow protruding from deep within her leg. She grunted in pain, breathing heavily as Costia dropped to her knees beside her. Gustus stood by the door, sword drawn in case the Ice Nation warriors moved in to attack.

"Oh God, Lexa, I'm so sorry!" Costia said as her trembling hands moved to examine the wound.

Lexa took a breath, steadying herself, then gritted her teeth as she ripped the arrow from her leg. Black blood began to spurt out, soaking the furs that Lexa had draped around her shoulders. She tore at the slash the arrow had put in her pants, opening it wider to get better access to the hole in her leg. "Heat my knife," she said to Costia, handing her the blade.

Costia took it and held it over a nearby fire until the blade glowed molten orange and then she brought it back, handing it over to Lexa. Lexa took it, and before she could talk herself out of it, pressed the hot metal to the wound. Her flesh sizzled and black spots crowded her vision as she clenched her jaw, doing all that she could not to pass out from the pain. When she lifted the knife away, the wound had been burnt shut, leaving behind a rough line of sweltering blisters.

"Are you okay?" Costia asked.

"I'm fine," Lexa replied, hauling herself to her feet and drawing her sword.

"Heda," Gustus said. "You're injured, you cannot fight."

Her muscles screamed as she put weight on her leg, but she stood strong. "Ai laik Heda," Lexa said. "And I will fight with my warriors."

She threw open the door and stepped out into the center of the village, expecting a flurry of arrows, but none came. The wounded moaned for help and the dead lay still, but the assault had seemed to stop. Lexa whirled around, looking up into the trees for signs of the archers that had ambushed them, but there was nobody to be found. The gates of TonDC creaked open, and Lexa found herself face to face with the coalition army. Reinforcements had arrived.

"Commander," one of the men said, spurring his horse towards her. She recognized him from the war council; he was the general of the Floudonkru, the Boat People. "The Ice Nation army is in full retreat," he informed her.

"Good," Lexa replied. "Send scouts after them. Bring me the heads of those archers and keep your men out of the woods near Mount Weather."


	19. Chapter 19

With the Ice Nation army in full retreat and the coalition in place, TonDC was well protected, and Lexa was free to return to Polis. Her generals had motioned for her to order the coalition to follow the Ice Nation army while they were still recovering from their wounds, but Lexa refused to send her army into Azgeda territory in the dead of winter. They were Ice Nation after all, born for the cold and with cold of heart, and it was not a risk that she was willing to take.

After the war council had adjourned, Lexa sat in her chambers reading the journal of one of the previous Commanders. The twelve clans had been at war for so long, it seemed that death and violence were the only things they'd written in history. The allegiances of the clans always seemed to be shifting depending on the leaders, and in the journal she was reading Azgeda had actually been part of the coalition at one point, albeit very briefly.

Ice Nation's army was the biggest of all the clans because they possessed the most land bearing the highest population. It took three clans of the coalition just to equal the amount of warriors that marched within the single confines of the Ice Nation army. They felt that sheer strength and power determined the right to lead, and that that right belonged to them. The clans that supported them did so out of fear, and the clans that marched with the coalition did so because they had faith in the flame and faith in the commander.

A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts. "Come in," she called, not glancing up from the journal.

Titus had been in and out of her chambers often lately, preaching words of council and delivering messages from the generals on the front lines. The coalition army had set up a blockade around the border of Ice Nation. They would not march into enemy territory during the winter, but they would not allow the enemy to leave either. For now, it seemed, they were at an impasse.

However, when Lexa finally glanced up from her reading, it was Costia that stood before her, not Titus. She wore a white nightgown, her arms bare, the fabric falling down just above her ankles. Her hair hung loosely in waves around her shoulders and she ran her fingers through it nervously. Her eyes met Lexa's and for a moment the air in the room seemed to stand still.

"Costia," Lexa said, shutting the journal and standing. "What are you doing here?" she asked, surprised at the visit. Costia had not been in her chambers since that night that they'd spent together.

"I was hoping we could talk," Costia replied, still fiddling with strands of her hair.

Lexa nodded. "Of course. Come sit," she said, ushering her over to the couch and following behind her.

They stared at each other in silence for a moment before Costia found the words to speak. "I wanted to say thank you for what you did in TonDC. You saved my life."

"It was—”

"It was brave and heroic," Costia continued, cutting her off. "It was also very stupid, Lexa. You are the Commander of the coalition, and I am no one. A servant to the flame and to you, nothing more."

"You're someone to me," Lexa admitted. What she wouldn't admit was that Costia was more than just 'someone,' she was everything.

"I am not someone that is worth the life of a Commander," she said. "You do not think before you act."

Lexa felt her patience weaning. "Costia, if you came here to lecture me, you should save it. I've already heard how foolish I am from Titus, I don't need to hear it from you too."

Titus had reamed her for hours the night after the attack on TonDC. He had droned on and on, pounding it in to her head that she must never risk her life in such a reckless way again. She didn't have enough fingers on her hands to count how many times he had told her that love is weakness, and that her feelings put them both at risk. If the Ice Nation archers had seen her risk her life to save Costia, then Queen Nia would now have a tool to use against her. She had shown the enemy a chink in her armor. The part that annoyed her most was that she knew he was right.

"I didn't come here to lecture you," Costia said, pulling her attention back to the present.

"Then why did you come?" Lexa asked.

"To tell you that love is weakness," she began. "But it is also a strength. I understand that now."

"What are you trying to say?"

Costia sighed, searching deep within herself to find the right words. "I'm saying that love can drive you to do reckless things, and that it is something that your enemies will not hesitate to use against you. But I'm also saying that love can make you courageous as well, and your heart can win a battle where your head cannot. Your men saw you risk your life for a servant the other day, and they love you for it. You inspire people, Lexa. Your passion and your strength and your wisdom make you a good Commander, but your love for your people makes you a great one."

Lexa felt a smile tugging at her lips. It had been so long since the last time she let herself smile, she couldn't even remember it. "Costia, I—”

"Don't, just let me finish," she said, cutting her off again. "When I look at you, I see the world for what it can be. You bring me happiness, Lexa, and you also drive me crazy. When you're not around, you're all I think about, and when I'm with you, I worry about the times when I wont be. But most of all, you bring me hope. You bring us all hope, and honestly, I just can't fight this anymore," Costia let her emotions spill out.

Lexa sat stunned for a moment as if she could not believe the words she was hearing. Butterflies welled in her stomach and the smile that had been tugging at her lips spread across her face. "What about duty before feelings?" she asked.

"I think we've made enough sacrifices," Costia replied.

She stood in front of Lexa, lifting her nightgown over her head, and then she reached down, scooping up Lexa's hands in hers and pressing them to her bare flesh. She climbed into Lexa's lap, straddling her legs on either side of her. Lexa closed her eyes and when their lips finally met the entire world dissolved around them, and everything that had been holding them back seemed to disappear. The dam broke, releasing a flood of emotions that had been built up for months.

The kiss started out gentle and passionate, but it slowly grew into something more intense. It was like a spark had been ignited between them and as they kissed it burned hotter and hotter until it scorched like a raging fire. Lexa felt Costia's soft hand against her cheek and she kissed her harder, never wanting to let the moment end. She tangled her hand through her long blond hair as she pressed her fingers over Costia's body, exploring every inch of her. It was weeks of pent up emotions and attractions spilling out into one perfect instant. And in that perfect instant the world stopped spinning, the planets all aligned, and everything in the universe was in order. For that night, they let their hearts win, and put their minds to rest.


	20. Chapter 20

_The clouds thundered overhead as ash rained down, covering the bleak world in a sheet of gray. Clashes of lighting echoed through the distance and it seemed as if the earth itself was trying to implode. Trees stood black and barren, void of life and void of color. The buildings of Polis crumbled, stones falling like an avalanche in a storm of dust, and the wind whipped steadily, carrying soot and debris high into the sky above._

_Lexa stood on a ridge overlooking Polis with the first commander, taking in the destruction that lay before her. "Why are you showing me this?" she asked._

_Becca stood beside her, black hair blowing in the dust and wind. "Because, you needed to see for yourself. This was what the world was like two years after the bombs that wiped out most of humanity. This was what I found waiting for me when I came back down to earth," she said._

_"How could anyone survive in this?" Lexa asked. For as far as she could see into the distance, there was nothing but ash and radiation storms._

_Becca smiled and her beautiful grin looked entirely out of place amongst so much bleak destruction. "Do you know why the flame atop the tower always remains lit?" she asked._

_"No," Lexa replied. Now that she thought about it, it wasn't even a question she had ever considered._

_The scene shifted again, and this time, they were thousands of feet in the air looking out over the inhospitable landscape from the top of the tower in the center of the city. A group of people stood around a great stone basin, they were drenching a pyre of wood in thick black oil. Becca stood at the head of the circle, but she also manifested herself beside Lexa, and it was as if they were watching a movie about her life. The first commander held a torch to the wood and it instantly caught fire, blazing high into the air above them._

_"The flame is a symbol of unity," Becca explained. "Lighting it here began my reign as first Commander. It blazes like a beacon, and it can be seen for miles in any direction. We lit it to bring people together."_

_"Did it work?" Lexa asked._

_Becca nodded and again the vision before them shifted. They were in the throne room, except it was not yet a throne room, but simply an empty hall. Twelve people stood in a circle, their voices echoing down from the high ceiling above. "They came from everywhere and all walks of life, from the Boat People to the Plains Riders and even Ice Nation," the first commander said. "We gathered that day. The first summit, and what I thought could be the dawn of peace between men."_

_"All twelve clans? What happened?"_

_"None of us could survive on our own. The world was broken, humanity was hanging on by a thread, and there was no end in sight."_

_"So how did you survive?"_

_"We worked together," Becca replied. "United. Even just for a brief time."_

_The world shifted and the throne room was gone, replaced by the city streets of Polis. There were hundreds of people working together, digging out the buildings that had been buried beneath two years of ash and rubble. Slowly, the city began to rise up out of the earth as if being resurrected from death. Time seemed to lapse and the sky overhead changed from gray, to white, and then back to blue. Leaves started to grow on the trees and the gray earth seemed to be healing itself, color returning to the world again._

_Lexa was looking up at the Polis tower, the flame still burning bright. "So the flame brought the clans together, and together you brought life back into this world, but how did you manage to keep from war?"_

_"We had a common goal," Becca answered. "We needed to survive. It was never about rebuilding what had been broken or even about bringing our people together; it was simply a matter of life and death. And we chose life."_

_"A common goal," Lexa repeated._

_"A lot can be done when everyone is working to achieve the same thing."_

_"Well where did it go wrong? When did the coalition break?"_

_Becca sighed heavily, gazing out into the distance as if searching for something far away. "When we didn't need each other to survive anymore. Someone will always want more: more land, more people, more power."_

_"Ice Nation," Lexa whispered._

_The first commander nodded solemnly and suddenly they weren't looking out over Polis anymore, but over the remains of a battlefield. Hundreds of bodies laid dead, the green earth stained red with their blood. "Ice Nation broke from the coalition, and it wasn't long before other clans followed. The ones that remained had faith in me and believed that I was the only person who could restore this world to its former glory, and save humanity from destruction," she explained._

_Lexa watched as four Ice Nation warriors dragged a hooded prisoner out into the center of the battlefield. This part of the vision she had seen before. The hooded man was Becca's love, and she would exchange her life for his. She would ride out to the center of the field and sacrifice herself so that he could live._

_"This is where you died," Lexa said._

_"Yes," Becca nodded. "The flame of my life was snuffed out on that empty battlefield that day."_

_They watched as the past version of Becca rode into the center of the battlefield. Her head was cloaked, as if she had snuck away in the night, hiding her face from anyone who might recognize her. She climbed down from her white stallion and laid her sword at the feet of one of the Ice Nation soldiers. They ripped the hood off of their prisoner and hauled him up onto Becca's horse, and then they bound her wrists behind her and kicked her to her knees. The man on the horse was shouting, begging them to let her go and begging her to run, but the bargain had already been struck. The Ice Nation general grinned as he drove his blade down through the Commander's heart._

_"Love is weakness, I got it," Lexa answered. "You've already shown me this a dozen times, I don't need to see you die anymore."_

_"That is not why I am showing you this," Becca replied, her tone chastising._

_''Then what?" Lexa asked._

_"See for yourself."_

_Becca turned from where they stood and pointed out over the horizon. Far into the distance, Lexa could see the flame atop the tower in Polis, burning brightly as the sun set behind it. "The flame?"_

_"Yes. Even as I laid dying in the battlefield, the flame I had lit for my people still burned, just as it burns within you now. A symbol of hope, and a symbol of unity; that is what the flame is, and that is what it means to be Commander."_

"Lexa?" a voice called. "Lexa wake up."

_"Remember that, Lexa. Don't ever forget it,"_ Becca called as Lexa woke from the last dredges of sleep.

Costia leaned over her, gently running her fingers through her hair. She pressed a soft kiss to Lexa's lips when she opened her eyes. "Hey," she whispered. "You were dreaming."

Lexa smiled, happy to be back in her own time and staring at the one person that she actually wanted to be in her dreams. "How'd you sleep?" she asked.

"Better than I have in a long time," Costia replied. "But I should go before Titus comes to retrieve you for war council."

"You don't have to go yet," Lexa answered.

Lexa pulled Costia into her arms and kissed her deeply, her stomach twisting in a ball of knots as their lips met. All thoughts of getting out of bed were erased from Costia's mind as she climbed on top of Lexa, pressing her mouth against hers and then letting it trail down Lexa's neck. Lexa's hands slipped over Costia's bare skin sending sparks dancing across her flesh as the world around them faded into oblivion.


	21. Chapter 21

Lexa sat in the throne in the great hall, legs crossed and listening to the ambassadors argue over the complacency of the coalition army. They were a bloodthirsty lot, always wanting war and death, and never thinking twice about the cost of it. If they had their way, the human race would have killed itself off years before Lexa had been given her chance to try to save it. It seemed as if they would never stop calling for blood. Jus drein jus daun were the words that they lived by, as if they were religion.

They had been arguing for weeks on end about the coalition's next move, and nothing ever seemed to get resolved. Lexa thought that half of them didn't even know what they were fighting for anymore, but were simply protesting for the sake of arguing. It had gotten to the point where fights had begun to break out, and the sentries were needed to keep the peace in the room. The winter had gone on longer than expected, and Lexa needed to do something before her allies took to killing each other instead of the enemy.

The double doors swung open and Titus strode in, followed by Costia and another man. They had not been in council that morning, and Lexa was wondering where they had gone off to. Her mood instantly brightened at the sight of Costia, and she sat up a little straighter in her chair, looking more like the Commander and less like a bored teenager.

Over the past weeks, their relationship had grown stronger. They met in secret every night after the Flame Keeper had gone to bed and the tower had grown silent. They shared their evenings together, talking and laughing and letting themselves feel genuine happiness for the time being. Every morning, Costia would wake before the dawn and sneak back to her chambers before her absence could be discovered. It was not the most ideal of circumstances, Lexa was the Commander after all, so she shouldn't have had to hide behind closed doors, but they did it out of respect for Titus and his wishes.

"Heda," the Flame Keeper said, bowing before her.

"Titus," Lexa answered, nodding to him. "Good of you to grace us with your presence this afternoon."

"Forgive me, Heda, but there was an urgent matter that needed attending to," he answered, his eyes shifting to the man that stood beside him. "This is one of our coalition scouts. He arrived this morning with news."

Lexa stood, curiosity peeking her interest. "What news?"

"Commander," the man spoke. "I bring you news of the destruction of one of your enemies. The Klironkru, the Valley People, that march with Ice Nation were attacked this morning. Many of their villages lay in ruin."

"Attacked? By who?" Lexa asked. She had not given the order for the coalition to march on anyone, and if one of her generals had gone behind her back, that meant they no longer trusted in her ability to lead.

The scout's eyes darkened with fear. "Reapers," he said. "The Mountain Men."

Whispers and panic swept through the room, falling over the ambassadors like a veil. Lexa raised a single hand, instantly silencing them. "The Mountain Men move beyond the forest and into the valley now?" she asked.

"Yes, Heda. They must have followed the clans back to their lands after Ice Nation's failed attack on Trikru. The Valley People are in shambles," he explained.

"We must attack now while they are weakened!" one of the ambassadors shouted. The other delegates nodded and voiced their agreement, each of them calling for more blood.

"We can wipe them out! It will weaken Ice Nation's army!" another ambassador called.

Lexa lowered herself back onto the throne, her mind spinning with possibilities and solutions. If they attacked now, they would meet little resistance and gain hold of more land in the east. Ice Nation would lose part of its following, and their war efforts would be greatly weakened, but it would cost the lives of hundreds of defenseless and innocent people.

"Heda," Titus whispered. "We should mobilize the coalition army and march on the Valley before they have a chance to organize."

"No," Lexa whispered. "There must be another way."

"There is no other way," Titus answered. "This is our chance to put a dent in the forces that fight against us."

The voices that echoed through the hall were rising, each of them fueled by their own passion and their own hatred, each of them calling for blood. Lexa spared a glance at Costia, trying to read the expression on her face and find any signs of what she believed they should do. She stood there, staring expectantly at Lexa, her blue eyes showing her that she already knew the answer.

Lexa stood again. "Em plenty!" she yelled, bringing the delegates shouts to a sudden halt. "The coalition army will stay where it is on the borders of Azgeda," she said.

"But Heda—”

Lexa held up her hand cutting off Titus before he could protest. "I will take my guard and ride out to the Valley People to bring them aid. They will be in need of food and water and healing."

"You would help our enemy?" one of the ambassadors yelled, his voice filling with outrage.

"They do not have to be our enemy, brother," Lexa replied. "The Mountain Men leveled their homes and killed their people, they will be seeking retribution, and in this we are united."

"The Valley People have marched with Azgeda for fifty years, they will kill you on sight!"

"They will not," Lexa said. "My death at their hands would bring the might of the coalition down on them, and right now, they do not have the means to fight back. Azgeda is cut off, contained within their own borders by our blockade, and the Valley People sit defenseless."

More whispers of dissension shifted through the room and Titus put his hand on Lexa's shoulder, leaning down to whisper in her ear. "What are you doing, Heda?" he asked.

"Finding a common goal," she replied.


	22. Chapter 22

Lexa rode at the center of a large caravan, Titus and Gustus faithfully by her sides as ever. She had ordered a band of guards to escort her out to the Valley people with barrels of food, water, blankets, and bandages. Her ambassadors had protested for hours and Titus had tried to talk her out of it, but her decision had been made. She bounced up and down in the saddle, her thoughts weighing heavily in her mind as they trudged on in silence.

"What are you thinking about, Heda?" Gustus asked, his voice deep.

"Whether this is the right decision or not," she replied. Her trust for this man had grown after he'd protected her with his life in TonDC, and she felt as if she could speak plainly to him.

"Do you believe that we are doing the right thing?" he asked.

She sighed, truly not knowing the answer. "I have to believe that we are. We could be bringing them death, but instead we bring them support. There are innocent people in these villages, and we must consider that."

"Even if you are in doubt, Heda, do not let anyone see. You are the Commander. Be strong in your resolution, and your men will follow. If you do not question yourself, nor will they," he said.

She nodded her understanding and held her head high, showing no sign of hesitation or fear for what they were riding in to. Costia rode a few lengths behind them, and Lexa could feel her eyes on her back, watching her. It was good hearing the advice from someone other than Titus for once. She knew that the Flame Keeper shared her goals and that he wanted peace between the clans as much as she, but there were times when she thought he was just as bloodthirsty as the rest.

The Valley was a little less than a day's ride from Polis, and the caravan made its way through dense trees, the mountains rising up around them. They found themselves at the gate of a large village just before dusk, and Titus had assured Lexa that this was where the Klironkru general would be. The wooden wall that surrounded the village was in ruins and signs of battle were everywhere.

The smell of burnt flesh wafted in the air, a thick column of black smoke rising up over the trees, and Lexa could tell they had lit a very large funeral pyre. Bodies of Reapers lay scattered across the ground, drenching the snow in crimson blood, and she took solace in knowing that at least the Valley People had put up some sort of fight. The air around them was completely silent as if there was nobody left alive in this part of the valley, and for a moment it almost seemed peaceful.

That peace was quickly shattered as the guard party came to a sudden halt, face to face with dozens of Klironkru archers and a group of warriors, each standing with blades drawn and ready to attack. This must be what remained of the general's war party. No doubt there were other warriors left in the Valley army, but they had most likely been dispersed to the other villages to provide some sort of protection in case of further attacks.

A mountain of a man stood at the head of the small band of warriors, towering over them as if they were children. A long black beard hung down to his mid chest, his face shrouded in a mess of hair like a lions mane. He wore heavy brown furs that looked as if they'd been peeled from the back of a giant grizzly. He hefted an axe that looked like it could fell an oak tree in one blow, and his face was lined in the scars of battle. He stared at Lexa through deep brown eyes, glaring at her as if he could kill her with looks alone.

"That's Julius," Titus whispered. "General of Klironkru."

"Commander," the man said, voice booming. "Come to wipe us out? You insult us with this meager war party, I expected the entire coalition to be marching on us."

Lexa climbed down from her horse without hesitation, Gustus following closely behind her. She strode through the ranks of her guards to stand before the mighty general. "We did not come here to attack you, Julius," she said, her voice strong and unwavering. "We came here to help."

"Help?" he questioned. "We don't need your charity," he spat. "Why should I not strike you down where you stand?"

"We both know you wont," Lexa answered. "Your people are all but defenseless. If you kill me here, the coalition will wipe out what is left of the valley."

"And we would die happily knowing that we cut off the head of the snake."

Lexa's confidence wavered for just a moment, bordering on the lines of fear and doubt. What if this had been a mistake after all? She pushed her reservations aside and stood her ground before the brute of a man. "Put your hatred away for a moment and look around, Julius. Your people are dying. They are in need of food, water, and shelter. The wounded need care," she said.

He scoffed. "And you've brought all of that? Out of the goodness of your heart?"

"I bring aid because I know your pain," she whispered. "Trikru has been living under the shadow of the Mountain since before I was born. You are just now witnessing what the Mountain Men can do, I have seen their destruction my entire life. Let us help you."

Julius turned to look at the weary faces of his men. What was left of the villagers cowered behind the walls, watching the exchange through breaks in the fractured wood. If the Reapers attacked again, the village would not survive, that much was certain. And if they did not find food and shelter soon, the winter would kill the rest of them.

"Very well," he sighed. "Your people may help."

Lexa gave a nod over her shoulder and instantly the caravan spread out to attend to the needy. Healers went to work on caring for the wounded, women and children flocked around the guards as they passed out food and water. Lexa's men handed out blankets and went to work on repairing the damaged walls and huts.

"This doesn't change anything," Julius said, his voice hardening. "You are still our enemy."

"That may be so," Lexa replied. "But today I am your friend."

"If our roles were reversed, Azgeda would have wiped you out."

"I am not Azgeda," Lexa said. "Violence does not always need to be the answer. Wiping your people out would serve no greater purpose in the end than to add conflict to a war that we are already fighting."

Titus pushed past Gustus and bowed curtly in front of Lexa. "Heda, forgive me," he said.

"What is it Titus?" she asked.

"Our scouts report a Reaper party on the road. They are headed this way," he said, loud enough so that the others could hear.

"Send riders to intercept them," Lexa said. "Do not let them near this village."

"I will send my archers with them," Julius said, motioning for his men to head out.

Lexa watched as her war party and a group of Klironkru rode off together, two enemies riding into battle against a common goal. Perhaps there was hope for them after all.

Julius stared at her, brown eyes thoughtful beneath a mane of black hair. "You risk your warrior's lives for the sake of my people," he said.

"I do," Lexa replied.

"Why?" he asked. "This is not your battle."

"Because enough innocent people have died here today."

The general was silent for a moment. "Four Commanders," he said. "Four Commanders I have seen come and go before you, yet you are different than them all."

"Maybe being different is a good thing," Lexa replied. "Maybe it's time for a change."

"Maybe it is," Julius answered.


	23. Chapter 23

Lexa stood in her makeshift hut that night, the sort of mobile Commander's quarters that they constructed any time they were not in Polis. Guards were positioned around the outsides of it, and Gustus stood in the doorway, not trusting the Valley People to remain peaceful through the night. She stood, unwinding the braids from her hair when voices came from outside the tent. A guard escorted Costia through the door.

"Leave us," Lexa said, and instantly Gustus and the other sentry slipped out of the tent.

Costia stood staring at her, a gentle smile playing across her divine features. She wore boots and pants, furs draped across her shoulders to keep her warm and her blond hair woven into intricate braids. Lexa thought she looked like a goddess in the dim candlelight, the fire flickering playful shadows across her face. She could have stared at her all night, but Costia made her way over to where Lexa stood, pressing a passionate kiss to her lips without warning.

Lexa kissed her back, allowing the world to melt away around them and just living in the moment of complete bliss. When they finally parted, they were both breathing heavily. "What was that for?" Lexa asked.

"Because you are wonderful," Costia replied. "And what you did today was wonderful."

"I'm not so sure about that," Lexa replied, leading Costia over to a couch at the far end of the tent, out of earshot of the guards.

"What do you mean?" Costia asked when they were sure that no one could hear them.

"I showed mercy and compassion," Lexa answered. "I may have made myself look weak to the ambassadors. And the generals will not be pleased that we didn't march on Klironkru."

"Lexa, you saw those people out there. There are elderly and children, and they were in desperate need of our help. They would all be dead right now if not for you. They were faced with two outcomes: death by the Reapers, or death by the coalition, but instead you provided them a third option. You gave them a way out."

Lexa nodded. "Yes I saved them, but for what? Those children will grow, and they will make fine warriors for Azgeda to slaughter our people with."

"Maybe they will," Costia replied. "You cannot change the way that our people have done things for decades in one night, and hate runs much deeper than gratitude. But you have shown them that things can be different. You saved their lives when you didn't have to. Even if it changes nothing, at least it's a step in the right direction."

"And what of my coalition? What if they view this as an act of weakness?"

"Show them that it was not. Everything that you do, you do for a reason. Even Julius said that you are unlike any Commander he's known."

Lexa scoffed. "Julius also said he would kill me if he could."

"But he didn't," Costia answered. "Instead he worked with you. Our warriors fought the Reapers together. There is hope in that."

"I hope you're right."

"I am. Your actions today saved a lot of lives."

"The innocent don't deserve to die for the crimes of their leaders," Lexa stated. "These people deserve better than that."

A smile spread across Costia's face. "That right there is why you were born for this," she said. "You treat all people as if they were your own, even your enemies. You recognize that all people are your people, even if they march under a different banner."

"When I unite all twelve clans, they will be my people."

"Exactly. So, killing them would have done nothing but lay burden on your conscience. Instead, you showed them mercy. You showed them kindness and compassion, and with time, they will love you for it. I love you for it," Costia admitted, letting the words slip out before she could catch herself, but she knew it was true the moment that she said it.

Lexa felt her heart skip a beat in her chest. "You love me?" she asked.

Their gazes locked, and Lexa looked into Costia's deep blue eyes seeing the unhindered truth hidden within them. "I love you," she said the words again.

A swarm of butterflies took flight within Lexa's chest and she felt as if she could float away herself. Up until this moment in her life, she had never known what it was like to feel love, and now it was like she was seeing the world in a whole different light. She understood why Becca and the others had sacrificed themselves for their loved ones because in that instant she knew that she would gladly give her life for that girl in front of her.

"I love you too," Lexa whispered back. Their lips met again in a flood of passion and raw emotion, kissing each other as if it was the last kiss they'd ever share. They made love long into the night, letting their desires win out, the heat between them burning until the candles went out.

Costia was gone when Lexa woke, the morning light filtering in through the break in the tent door. Gustus stood stoically at the entrance, watching over her as she slept like a fierce guardian. He allowed her some privacy while she changed clothes, and she was too shy to ask if he'd seen Costia sneak out sometime in the night. She knew that Gustus was aware of her forbidden relationship, yet he was the one person who never chastised her about her feelings. Never once had he said to her that love was weakness or that being commander meant being alone. She was grateful to him for that.

She'd just finished her morning meal when Titus strode into the tent. Costia followed closely behind him and for a moment the girls shared a glance, exchanging all their feelings from the night before in one single look. The Flame Keeper paid no notice, and Lexa wondered if he thought they had moved past their feelings for each other.

"Heda," he said, giving her a slight bow. "Julius wishes to speak with you."

Lexa nodded and allowed Titus to lead her out of the tent to where Julius stood waiting for her. "General," she said. "I must return to Polis today, but I will leave guards behind with you until you're able to organize a defensive force."

"Thank you," Julius replied. "I was wondering if we could speak alone for a moment," he said, motioning for her to follow him.

Gustus was about to protest, but she held up her hand, quickly silencing him. She followed Julius into his quarters at the center of the village, showing no fear and no hesitation. "What is it?" she asked when they were alone.

She let her hand subtly slide over the hilt of her sword. "You won't be needing that," Julius said. "You have nothing to fear from me."

"Nor you from me," Lexa replied, letting her hand fall away.

"What you did for my people was very noble. Azgeda would never have spared the resources or the manpower to help us," he began. "It was also foolish. The generals of your coalition will see your compassion as weakness."

"Yes, they will," she agreed, not refusing to hide the simple truth.

"I do not see what you did as weakness. In fact, I see only strength in your actions. You risk your life and the lives of your warriors to provide refuge and relief for an enemy nation when you could have easily used it as an opportunity to gain a foothold in the war you fight. I see wisdom and courage in that."

Lexa contemplated his words for a moment. "We share a common enemy," she said. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend."

"It's more than that, Lexa. It's you. I see the way your warriors look at you. I hear the way they speak of you. Your people love you," Julius said. "Last night I laid awake trying to think of all the reasons why you would choose to save us instead of wipe us out, and I could only come up with one."

"What is that?"

"You don't want power or land or blood, you want peace."

"You're wrong," she said. "I do want blood, but not the blood of our people. Our people have bled for too long fighting the wars of those that have come before us, when the real enemy has been out there all along, feeding on our people like parasites. I want the blood of the Mountain Men."

Julius gazed at her and she thought she could see a slight smile on his lips beneath his mane of hair. "You and I have a common goal," he said.

"The Mountain will not fall unless the twelve clans stand united against it. Once we have killed the last Mountain Man, then we will have our peace," Lexa explained.

"Twelve clans under one leader?"

She nodded. "It is the only way to stop the Reaping, and it is the only way we will ever know peace."

Without warning, Julius dropped to his knees, bowing before her. "Then Klironkru swears its loyalty to you, Heda. We will be the seventh clan of your coalition."


	24. Chapter 24

"You did well," Titus said on the ride back to Polis.

His horse trotted beside Lexa's, the young commander the picture of strength and wisdom in her saddle. She wore her shoulder guard, red cape flowing behind her, green eyes bright beneath her signature black war paint. He stared at her proudly, the way a father would look at his daughter.

"Sometimes we have to find a third way out," she replied. "Sometimes the advice of our council is not the only advice." She wasn't just talking about the Valley People, but about Costia as well.

"Regardless, you defied the wishes of your ambassadors and left Polis to help your enemy, but you return to Polis with a new ally. You should be proud."

"I will be proud when the twelve clans stand united."

Titus nodded. "Thanks to you we are one step closer to that goal. And Julius said he would speak to the other generals that follow Ice Nation and arrange a summit so that you may try to reason with them."

"It won't be that simple," Lexa answered. "Julius was hurting. His people had just been attacked, and I gave him a way to get revenge. The other generals do not share the same goal as we do."

"Then find something they do want."

Lexa met with the coalition ambassadors later that evening, filing them in on the events of the past few days. Their reactions were varied between surprised and supportive to cautious and untrusting. She did not expect them to trust the word of the Valley People, not after fifty years of war, but the ambassador that Julius had sent back with them was an eloquent woman. She spoke for her people and swore fealty to the coalition, and Lexa could see that she truly believed in the change they were trying to make.

The council had just ended when a group of sentries swept into the room. They had a young boy with them, he couldn't have been more than nine or ten years old, and he wore little more than rags. Lexa wondered how he had survived through the winter and not frozen to death. The boy looked frightened, glancing around wide-eyed at the throne room, his hazel eyes brimming with tears.

"What is the meaning of this?" Lexa asked.

"Heda, if I may," Titus said, stepping forward to examine the boy. "These are scouts of the Order of the Flame." Titus pulled out his knife and ran it over the boy's palm as he had done when he first found Lexa. Black blood flowed from the wound landing in thick drops on the floor. "Heda, I present to you your first novitiate."

Her first novitiate: the first of many that could succeed her upon her death. She glanced over the frightened boy again and found herself praying that she would not die any time soon if this child was to be the next commander. "What is your name?" Lexa asked, standing up and striding confidently to where the boy cowered.

"Aden," he replied. His voice was soft and that of a child, not a warrior or a leader.  
Lexa knelt in front of him so that she was eye level, meeting his gaze. "Are you scared, Aden?" she asked. Her tone was gentle, and for once, she allowed herself to show compassion in front of her warriors.

"Yes, Heda," he answered, shifting his eyes away as if he was embarrassed at the admission.

Lexa put her hands on his shoulders, feeling him tremble beneath her touch. "Don't be scared," she said. "While you are here, I promise that no harm will ever come to you."

"That is not why I'm scared, Heda."

"Then what is it?" she asked.

The boy shrugged, looking for the right words. "I'm scared that I'm not worthy of my Nightblood."

Lexa felt a gentle smile spread over her lips. "You are worthy, Aden. Come, I'll show you why," she said, taking his hand and leading him out to the balcony. "Look out there and tell me what you see."

His eyes lit up as if he had never seen a sight so beautiful in his life. "I see the capitol," he said. "And all the people."

"Those are our people, Aden. Those will be your people if one day you become Heda."

"My people?"

Lexa nodded, putting a soft hand on the young novitiates shoulder. "It will be your duty to listen to their needs and to protect them."

"Well, what if I fail?" he asked.

"Then it will be your duty to figure out what went wrong and right your mistakes."

The boy nodded his understanding, letting the words sink in for a minute. "I will protect my people," he said. "No matter what. And I will listen to them and learn from them, just as I will listen and learn from you."

Lexa knelt in front of him again, drawing his eyes away from the horizon. "That is why you are worthy of you Nightblood. You show strength in your desire to protect your people, you show passion in your fear of failing them, and you show wisdom in your desire to learn from them. Can you guess what the three pillars of a commander are?"

The boy shrugged.

"Strength, passion, and wisdom," Lexa said.


	25. Chapter 25

In the weeks that followed, Lexa spent her days with Aden, training him and teaching him the ways of a warrior. He had grown up homeless on the streets of Polis, orphaned by the war that divided the clans, and surviving by finding refuge in abandoned tunnels. He was sharp-witted and a fast learner, and Lexa could tell it hadn't been by chance that he had survived that long on his own. She felt a responsibility to him, to teach him and to protect him, and to show him what it meant to be Heda. She would bare that responsibility with all of her novitiates.

When she wasn't training with Aden, she was locked in council with Titus and her ambassadors. The Klironkru had set a date for the summit where eleven clans, excluding Ice Nation, would meet and discuss terms of peace. Winning Julius to the coalition's side had proved to be an ingenious move, and he spoke to the other generals on Lexa's behalf. But the summit was quickly approaching, and Lexa had not come up with a way to convince the rest of them to see reason.

The winter had ended, giving way to spring and new life. The snow melted away and fresh leaves and grass grew in place, decorating the world in a layer of green. With winter over, the generals and ambassadors of the coalition were calling for movement of the army. They had sat stagnant for too long, and now they wanted blood. The dead are gone, the living are hungry, the words echoed through Lexa's mind. She refused to let her coalition march on Ice Nation until the summit had ended, an attack now would only weaken her standing in the enemy general's minds, and she needed them to hear her out.

Lexa stood in her chambers pacing back and forth, wracking her brain, searching for the words she needed to say to the generals. She had been begging Becca to show her a vision, or give her some sort of direction as she had done before, but the voice of the first commander had remained silent. Costia sat there, staring at Lexa as she was coming unglued, visibly seeing her love's composure unravel before her.

"Lexa," Costia whispered. "Lexa just stop for a minute."

"I don't have time to stop," Lexa snapped. "The summit is tomorrow and I have nothing to offer them."

Costia stood, carrying herself over to Lexa and putting her hands on her shoulders. "You have everything to offer them, Lexa," she said. "You are Heda. Your people love you, your warriors worship you, your ambassadors listen to you. Show them why."

"This has to work," Lexa whispered. "For the first time in years, the coalition stands stronger than Ice Nation. We are so close."

"It will work. You offer them something that Azgeda never could."

"What's that?"

"Peace. Ice Nation wants power and land and glory, and they will never stop fighting for it. These generals follow Azgeda because Azgeda will wipe them out if they don't, and the coalition will not. Show them that standing together, united, is better than standing divided and at each other's throats."

"Don't you think the Commanders of the past have tried that?" Lexa asked. She knew they had, she'd seen it in her dreams, and she'd seen every single one of them die at the hands of the enemy.

"The Commanders of the past were not you. Have faith in yourself Lexa. I know I do."

Lexa nodded and leaned down to kiss Costia, their lips meeting softly. "I love you," she whispered.

"I love you too," she replied.

The next morning, Lexa stood out on her balcony overlooking Polis, staring at the streets bustling with people below. She saw the generals arrive one by one, accompanied through the city by their war parties and making their way towards the tower. She moved through her chambers, readying herself for the summit and making herself look as commanding as possible.

She wore black. Her pants and boots fit tightly, her shoulder guard fitting snuggly over her black leather jacket. She lined her eyes with black war paint enjoying how it made the green within them pop and flash. She pressed the golden sunburst between her eyes and strapped her sword across her back, her red cape falling in waves behind her. Her hair was braided in strands behind her head, the rest of it hanging loosely, as her demeanor radiated nothing but strength.

A knock came at her door and Titus entered, dawning the gray robes of the Flame Keeper and followed closely by Costia. "Heda," he said. "It is time."

Lexa followed him up to the throne room, keeping her eyes straight ahead as she entered. She felt the glares of the foreign generals on her as she made her way to the throne. The sentries and the ambassadors of the coalition bowed in respect as Lexa turned to look at the faces of those that gathered within her hall. Her eyes swept over the generals, falling on Julius who gave her a quick wink, and then she did something that nobody had expected: she bowed to them.

"Generals, we gather here today in the hope for a better future. I am in your debt for hearing me," she said. "Let the summit begin."


	26. Chapter 26

The summit went on for hours as arguments between the ambassadors of the coalition and the foreign generals broke out. Lexa struggled to maintain control of the situation, calling for silence each time the debate became too heated. She sat in the throne, hearing the trifles and concerns of every clan and searching for a common way to bring them together. Titus stood beside her as always, his expression blank, but Lexa could tell that he did not think this summit would work. Costia lingered by his side, exchanging glances with Lexa and doing her best to exude a sense of calmness, urging the commander to remain stoic.

Lexa heard time and time again the hatred that flowed between clans, and the anger they held towards one another. She listened to accusations that held no merit and grudges that had been born half a century before. When she had finally heard enough, she stood, silencing the room around her.

"My brothers and sisters," she began. "I hear your concerns and I hear your pain, but what I do not hear is any valid reason as to why we wage war on one another. You there," she said, pointing to the general of the Delphi Clan. "Why does Delfikru fight with Azgeda?" she asked.

The man glanced around nervously as the gazes of every person in the room fell on him. "Because it has always been so," he replied. Some of the other generals mumbled their agreement.

Lexa nodded. "And you, Ingranrona, why do you ride with Ice Nation?" she asked, singling out the general of the Plains Riders.

"Azgeda raids our lands and slaughters our people if we do not ride with them, and the coalition is too weak to stop them," he replied.

"The coalition is not weak. We do not move to stop Ice Nation attacks against your clan because our warriors are busy fighting other battles waged by Azgeda and their supporters. How do you expect the coalition to fight for you and against you?" she asked.

The man's eyes fell away. "I do not know, Commander," he replied.

Lexa descended the stairs to pace in front of the generals and her ambassadors, her presence imposing like a goddess among men. "We fight, we bleed, and we kill each other," she began. "To what end? What is gained from the slaughter other than making ourselves weak and exposed for outside threats to attack?"

"What outside threats?" the Delphi general asked. "The coalition is the only threat to Delfikru."  
"That may be so, my brother, but how long until Azgeda becomes a threat to you as well? How long until the Mountain Men can no longer prey on Trikru and Klironkru and move on to you?"

"Heda is right," Julius spoke, his voice booming through the halls. "The Mountain Men raided the villages of the Valley. They killed hundreds and dragged the rest back with them into the depths of the mountain, and we were helpless to defend against them because our army marched with Ice Nation," he explained. "And when we were weak and on the brink of falling, it was not Azgeda that came to our aid. It was Heda and the coalition. The Valley People are alive because this Commander is different; she chose to show mercy instead of flex strength."

"Mercy is weakness," the general from Sankru spat. She was a behemoth of a woman, her skin darkened and laden with calluses from living in the desert heat. Lexa imagined her people struggled just to survive every day in the wastelands with little water and not much food. "Ice Nation would have wiped any clan out that was weak enough to fall prey to the Mountain Men."

"Our army was marching—”

Lexa held up her hand, cutting Julius off before he could argue. "You say mercy is weakness, Sankru, and normally I would agree, but I ask you to look at what my mercy has done. Look around you, my coalition is one clan stronger, and we stand in a summit without the threat of Azgeda delegates looming over us. So I ask you, was my mercy really weakness, or was there strength in the wisdom of knowing when to be merciful?"

The woman gasped as if she had been punch, cold realization dawning over her. "You may be right," she admitted.

Lexa nodded. "We stand here arguing over all the reasons why we are at war, yet when I ask you why you fight, not one of you has said you fight for your people," Lexa began. "Well I stand here before you, begging you to see that I fight for mine. I am not just speaking of Trikru or the clans of the coalition, but I am speaking for all of humanity, every person of every clan. This bloodshed is meaningless, and I fight to end this unending war."

"You see, my brothers and sisters," Julius said, addressing the foreign generals. "This Commander is different."

"Well what is it that you suggest we do, young Commander?" the Ingranrona delegate asked.

"I make no suggestion, brother," Lexa replied. "I simply beg that we look upon our actions with perspective and realize that our people deserve more than the wars that rob them of their loved ones. Our children deserve more than to grow up hating their neighbors and sharpening swords to drive through their brother's hearts. We find ourselves in a very rare situation," she continued on, feeling the eyes of every single person in the room on her. "We came here today to air out our differences, and we may leave here having accomplished nothing, or we may leave here having accomplished history. So, it is not about what I suggest we do, but rather about what you suggest we do."

Julius stood, rising from his chair and towering over Lexa. "Klironkru proposes an alliance," he said, turning again to the generals he had fought beside for his entire life. "We can stand together, united, or we can go our separate ways and watch our people die for reasons that we do not even know."

"Azgeda would never allow it," the Ouskejon Kru leader spoke for the first time. He was an elder man, a gray beard falling in thinning strands down his chest, his eyes set deep within wrinkles. His face was weathered from a lifetime atop the cliffs that overlooked the endless sea.

"What choice would Ice Nation have if eleven clans stood against them?" Julius asked, challenging them.

"They would fight," the elder general of the Cliff People replied.

"Let them," Lexa replied. "Azgeda has the largest army of all the clans, but even their might cannot stand against eleven clans united. They can surrender, or they can die."

"I find it suspect, Commander, that you call for peace yet threaten war within the same breath," the Sankru general spat.

"I do not threaten war, my sister," Lexa replied. "I offer a solution to end it. Sometimes we have to sacrifice the few to save the many. We sacrifice one clan to save eleven, or we continue this conflict and thousands more die."

Julius nodded. "You owe nothing to Ice Nation. Please see the wisdom that Heda has to offer," he said.

"Please," Lexa stated, candlelight dancing in her green eyes. "Join the coalition and stand with us so that the twelve clans may finally find peace. I am not saying that it will be easy, I know full well that there is a hundred years of conflict and war between our clans, but who is to say it cannot be done? One hundred years of war is long enough, brothers and sisters. Azgeda is the only thing that is standing in the way of writing a whole new future or reliving the mistakes of our past. Ride with me, stand beside me, one last time into battle so that we can lay down our weapons and our people can finally know peace."

The room fell silent around Lexa as if time itself was standing still. She gazed into the eyes of the generals, praying for them to see reason, hoping that they would embrace her common goal. She watched, one by one, as each general slowly bowed before her, the weight of her words finally resonating within them.

"Sankru will stand with you, Heda," the imposing woman spoke, her tone raspy and thick with emotion and Lexa could not tell if it was happiness or fear that had made her voice tremble.

"Ingranrona rides with you."

"Delfikru fights with you."

The last of the resistance fell away as the elderly man from the Cliff People lowered himself to his knees, his eyes alight with excitement as if he had waited an entire lifetime for this moment. "Finally," he whispered. "Ouskejon Kru will follow you," he said.

Lexa stood there as the rest of the coalition knelt before her and tried with every ounce of strength in her body to choke back the tears of joy that threatened to spill over her cheeks. She could feel the spirits of the past Commanders flow with joy within her, buzzing and humming with energy as if they had found new life. They were so close now to what they had been trying to achieve since the beginning, but they still had one obstacle to overcome. They had to sway Azgeda into the coalition, or they had to wipe them out, and then together, they would bring down Mount Weather.

"Rise, my brothers and sisters," Lexa said. "And give council on how to proceed with Ice Nation."


	27. Chapter 27

The leaders of the eleven clans of the coalition worked through the night, trying desperately to find a way to neutralize the threat of the Ice Nation. Some generals called for more blood, while other generals had followed Lexa's lead and preached for a peaceful resolution of the conflict. Many of the generals that had followed Azgeda originally were the ones that were now calling for more war, and Lexa wondered if there would ever be a time when blood was not answered with more blood.

The one thing that they had working for them was the element of surprise. As far as they were concerned, Ice Nation was not aware of the summit, and in turn unaware of the fact that the eleven other clans now stood together. In the end, they decided to use it to their advantage. They would ride out to where their armies waited for them, and upon the start of the battle, the generals would reveal their new allegiance and the entirety of the coalition army would move to surround the Azgeda forces. It would cause panic and dissension from within, and hopefully enough confusion to keep the blood shed to a minimum. When Ice Nation realized that they were outnumbered, Lexa hoped that they would surrender peacefully.

However, hope was not much to go on, and plans never lasted very long in battle, Lexa recalled the words of the commander before her. She rode at the center of the guard, making their way out to the border of Azgeda where the coalition army waited for her. The generals rode behind her, following their fearless commander to what they hoped would be a quick and bloodless victory.

They arrived at the front lines and Lexa stared out across the vast expanse of her army, taking in the faces of every man and woman that was willing to die for her cause. In the distance, she could see the smoke and fires from the Ice Nation army and where they had bunkered down to make their stance if the coalition attacked. The battlefield was open and wide, sprawling across a grassy field at the base of a mountain, and Lexa prayed that this ground would not know the taste of blood.

She felt as if she'd been here before, as if stuck in a state of hazy déjà vu, and then she realized that she had been here before. She had seen this field in her dreams. This was the battlefield in which the war had started with the first commander a hundred years before. Lexa had seen bodies sprawled across it and had watched Becca die in the place of the man she loved a dozen times over from this very spot. It was fitting that she would finally put an end to the war and death in the place where it had all began.

 _"Never thought we would be here again,"_ Becca's voice said within her head. _"You've done well, Leksa kom Trikru. Tomorrow it will finally end."_

Lexa turned, her eyes scanning for the flame in the distance. She spotted the glow of it atop the tower in Polis, just as she had in her dreams. "The flame still burns, Commander," Lexa whispered.

She strode through the entrance of her makeshift hut and breathed deeply, allowing herself a moment to reflect on what she was about to accomplish. Today, she stood fighting a war that had gone on for a century, but tomorrow she would stand as the one who brought an end to it all. The feeling was surreal, as if at any moment she would wake from this dream and find that nothing had changed at all.

"What are you thinking about?" a voice called from behind her, and Lexa knew without turning that it was Costia.

"How unreal this all is," Lexa replied.

She felt Costia's arms go around her waist and her skin radiated as a gentle trail of kisses went down her neck. "You're not dreaming," she whispered. "This is happening and it's thanks to you."

"I was just doing my duty."

"Duty or no, what you have done here is amazing. We're so close now. Tomorrow, for the first time since the beginning, the twelve clans will stand united as one," Costia answered, moving to stand before Lexa and scooping the Commander's hands in hers.

"Or I'll be forced to wipe out an entire clan, and only eleven will remain united," Lexa replied.

"Eleven is more than any Commander before you has ever been able to achieve. You inspire people, Lexa, you are different and that is why they follow you."

Lexa smiled, pressing a gentle kiss to her lover's lips. "I am what my people need me to be."

"And that is why this coalition will never fail."

Their lips met again and the world spun around them, their hearts racing together, lost in passion that never seemed to get old. Lexa smiled through the kiss, realizing that after the next day, she would never have to worry about putting duty before her feelings again. The kiss lasted for what seemed like minutes, and Lexa let herself get lost in it, enjoying the feeling of being held tightly in the arms of the woman she loved. All the pieces were falling into place, the stars and planets were aligning, and it was as if the universe finally made sense.

Lexa stepped back, pulling Costia towards her bed, wanting nothing more than to get tangled between the sheets until the early hours of the morning, but Costia stayed where she was. "You should rest tonight," she said, a gentle smile spreading over her lips.

"What if I don't want to rest?" Lexa asked, her tone seductive, and Costia could see the desire burning in those beautiful green eyes.

It took everything in her to stay rooted in place and not give in. "Tomorrow will be a day that will forever be remembered in history, you do not want to be falling asleep halfway through it," she joked. "You need a good night's sleep, and I need to meet with Titus, he is expecting me."

"Stay," Lexa whispered, trying one last time.

"You know I want to," Costia said. "With the clans at peace, you and I will finally have time to ourselves. We just have to make it through one more day."

"One more day," Lexa repeated.

"Get some rest." Costia pressed her lips to Lexa's one last time, letting the kiss burn until they were both breathing heavily. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Then I'll pray that morning comes soon."

"Goodnight, Heda," Costia whispered turning and shifting out of the tent, disappearing through the doors, and disappearing into the night.


	28. Chapter 28

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was incredibly difficult for me to write, and I did so with a heavy heart. I had to stay true to what was canon and this moment was such a defining point in Lexa's character, straying away from that (as much as I would have liked to) would have felt like cutting off a piece of who she is and ultimately would have been a disservice to her development into the person we know and love.

Lexa stood huddled over the war table, looking at a miniaturized model of the battlefield and the positions of her warriors. The generals stood with her, discussing the plan in detail and waiting for orders. Titus and Costia were nowhere to be found, and Lexa was growing impatient.

"Everyone is clear on the plan?" she asked. "Wait for the horns to sound, and then move in to position to surround the Ice Nation forces."

"Yes, Heda," the generals echoed their understanding in unison.

"Very well. Then let the attack—”

Titus rushed into the war council, cutting Lexa off. He wore an urgent expression, and Lexa wasn't used to seeing him lose his composure. "Heda," he said sharply. "Riders are approaching. It's the Ice Queen and her war council."

Whispers erupted amongst the generals and Lexa held up her hand, quickly silencing them. "Do you know what they want?" she asked.

Titus nodded. "The Ice Queen is demanding a private audience with you," he replied.  
Lexa nodded. "Very well, I'll see her in my hut."

She strode out of the council room, listening to her generals talk rapidly amongst themselves. She followed Titus back to her shelter, searching her mind for reasons as to why the Queen of Azgeda would want words with her before battle. Perhaps they were coming to negotiate their surrender.

"Do you know what this is about?" Lexa asked.

Titus stood beside her in silence within the confines of her tent. Sentries were stationed outside the doorway, and Gustus remained close at hand. "No, Heda," Titus replied.

Lexa paced the room impatiently, nerves knotting in her stomach. "Where is Costia?" she asked.

The Flame Keeper stared at her, his expression blank. "She was not with you?" he asked.

"No, I haven't seen her since last night," Lexa replied. "She said she had to meet with you."

Lexa watched as Titus's expression changed from impassive to alarmed. "Heda, she did not show for out meeting last night. I figured she was with you," he replied.

Before she had a chance to let panic sink in, Gustus entered the room. "Heda," he said. "Queen Nia of Azgeda," he announced her arrival.

The Ice Queen entered the room, her expression hard and unsettling. She had not aged since the last time Lexa had seen her, and it was as if her appearance was as cold and frozen as her heart. She wore furs and the crown that looked like it could freeze your hand just touching it, her eyes were cold and void of any emotion save hatred. Her hair was pulled back into different strands of braids that hung loosely down her shoulders, and she carried a heavy bag with her.

"Queen Nia," Lexa said, her voice hard. "Why do you come here?"

"Heda," Titus whispered, his eyes settling on the bag that the Ice Queen clutched, but Lexa held up a hand, silencing him.

"I came to pay tribute to you, of course, Leksa kom Trikru, Commander of the coalition," she replied, her voice dripping with guile. "Are you surprised to see me?"  
"Quite frankly, yes," Lexa said. "I did not expect you to come without a fight."

The Ice Queen scoffed, her face twisting into a sneer. "I may be cold, but I am not a fool. I know when I am outnumbered. I know that my generals now stand with you, and I do not wish to see my people annihilated."

"And how do you come by this information?" Titus asked, still eyeing the bag at her side.

The Ice Queen smiled, but it was out of place on her face. "I had a reliable source," she replied.

"Who?" Lexa asked, fearing a traitor in their midst.

"See for yourself," Nia replied, tossing the bag onto Lexa's bed.

Lexa stared at the bag, her heart pounding in her chest as she inched over to it. She reached for it, but Titus grabbed her wrist, stopping her before she could pull it open. "Heda, don't," he said, his dark eyes swimming with tears.

She stared at him for a moment, wondering what it was that he was so afraid of. And then cold realization dawned on her and she felt the threads of her universe beginning to unravel. "No," Lexa whispered. "No, it's not her."

Lexa pulled at the knots on the bag, opening it and letting its contents spill out onto the bed in front of her. Her world shattered as if the bombs that had destroyed it originally were falling on her, obliterating everything that she knew. Costia's head laid on the bed before her, blue eyes wide and glazed over, blood soaking her blonde hair. Lexa dropped to her knees, unable to hold herself up any longer as the world around her began to spin.

She doubled over and gagged, the muscles in her stomach twisting in utter shock and revulsion. She felt the sting of tears burn her eyes and could do nothing to stop them from spilling over. Her heart broke within her chest, and she wanted nothing more than to curl up and die right there on the floor in front of her enemy. She felt Titus's hand on her elbow, pulling her to her feet.

Suddenly, anger overtook her and she whirled around on the Ice Queen, drawing her blade and holding it to Nia's throat. "I'll kill you!" she yelled.

"Heda, no!" Titus said, pulling her arm back and putting himself between the edge of Lexa's sword and Queen Nia.

"Now you know what it feels like to see the person you love most die at the hands of your enemy," the Ice Queen whispered. "Now you know what justice really is, child. Jus drein jus daun."

"Titus, stand down!" Lexa screamed.

He stayed rooted where he was, his own tears flowing freely down his cheeks. "You cannot kill her, Heda. We need her."

"I have to admit," Queen Nia continued on. "She really did love you. No matter what we did to her, no matter how we tortured her, she would not give away your secrets. I'm surprised you didn't hear her screams all the way up here," she taunted.

Lexa's blood boiled within her chest, everything in her telling her to drive her sword through that woman's black heart. But she knew that Titus was right, they needed her alive. "Guards!" she yelled. "Get her out of here!"

The sentries huddled into the room, taking the Ice Queen by her arms and dragging her out through the door. "I did you a favor, Leksa kom Trikru," Nia called over her shoulder. "Love is weakness."

After she was gone, Lexa let herself collapse to her knees again, doing everything she could to keep her eyes away from her bed. She felt a wave of nausea overcome her and she had to fight to keep from vomiting. Tears burned her cheeks, her heart felt as if a knife had been driven through it, and her blood pounded loudly within her ears. She could feel her body trembling, but could do nothing to stop it.

"Lexa," Titus whispered, using her name for the first time since she had ascended. "You must listen to me. The Ice Queen aims to use your feelings against you. She comes here offering peace before the eleven generals knowing fully well that you will be mad enough to declare war. The coalition is fragile as it is, and you brought them together on the pretense of peace. If war is declared here today, your alliance will crumble. They will not see this transgression the same as you do," he explained.

"She killed Costia," Lexa whispered, disbelief flooding her voice, haunting the dredges of her mind.

Titus knelt before her, their eyes meeting. Lexa could see the pain written in his face, tears lining his cheeks. "To be Commander is to be alone," he said, repeating the same lesson that he had from the start. For once, Lexa wished with everything in her that she had listened to him.


	29. Chapter 29

Lexa stormed into the council room dawning her black war paint to hide the tear tracks beneath her eyes from her generals. The ambassadors of the coalition bowed upon her arrival, the room instantly falling silent. Queen Nia stood with her son, Prince Roan, a content smirk on her cold features. Lexa wanted to plunge her sword through the Ice Queen's chest, the same as she had done to the former prince. Her nerves were shot and she could feel herself slowly beginning to unravel, but she would not let herself fall apart in front of her delegates.

"Brothers and sisters of the coalition," Lexa began, masking her pain behind the strength in her voice. "We gather here to hear the Ice Nation's terms of surrender. Queen Nia, what do you have to say?" she asked.

The Ice Queen glared at her and Lexa could see the wheels in her mind turning, plotting a way to ensure that the alliance would break. "We come here knowing we are outnumbered," she began. "For all its might and strength, Ice Nation cannot stand alone against the might of the eleven clans. I will not let my people die for nothing."

Lexa cringed at the sound of her voice, a feeling like a thousand tiny spiders crawling down her spine. She wanted war. She wanted to wipe every last member of the Ice Nation clan from the face of the planet just so that they could feel her pain. But it was her pain that reminded her she was alive, and she had a duty to her people to put an end to the meaningless violence.

"Do you surrender?" Lexa asked.

The Ice Queen's gaze met hers. "I feel that the justice done today has been sufficient," she replied, knowing that only Lexa and Titus were aware of her word's true meaning. "Enough innocent blood has been shed. Let this war end."

Lexa felt her provocations, urging her to lose control in front of the generals, pressing on fresh wounds to inflict more pain. The young Commander wanted nothing more than to give the Ice Queen the war that she was asking for, but never again would she allow her feelings to stand in the way of her duty. She rose from her throne, making her way over to stand in front of the Ice Queen and the young prince.  
"Then kneel before me," Lexa said, knowing that peace would hurt Nia far more than war. She would not be tempted or coerced, and she would not let her weaknesses be preyed upon.

Nia's eyes were as cold as ice as she lowered herself to her knees before Lexa, Prince Roan following suit. "This is not over," Nia whispered so low that only Lexa could hear. "One day I will have your head too."

"Maybe," Lexa replied. "But today, it is you who are on your knees before me."

"That makeup hides your pain well, but we both know who brought who to their knees today," the Ice Queen said, trying one last time to send Lexa over the edge.  
Lexa felt the eyes of her generals on them, viewing the exchange with uneasiness. 

"Rise," she said aloud, turning her back to the Ice Nation delegation and making her way up to the throne. She turned to face the rest of the ambassadors, scanning the room for Costia and feeling a hole in her heart where she should have been. "Today is a day that will forever be remembered in history," she began, repeating some of the last words that Costia had ever said to her. "The war between clans began a hundred years ago. Countless lives have been lost, countless fathers and brothers, mothers and sisters, children and parents, have died fighting the wars of leaders past and for the greed of leaders present. Today, that bloodshed ends," Lexa said.

The room erupted into cheers and she let their joy be heard for a few moments before calling them to silence again. "Let this day signify our unity, the twelve clans coming together as one, under one leader. No longer will our people die for meaningless wars, but instead let them live together, side by side in peace."

"Long live Heda!" Julius shouted, and the rest of the coalition took up the chant, all but the Ice Queen who stood stoic, her eyes as blank as her expression.

Lexa raised a hand. "Our fight is not over, brothers and sisters. We stand together, but we still face an enemy that has plagued us as long as the war between clans has. Some of you may not yet realize the threat of the Mountain Men, but I assure you it is real and it is dangerous. But, even the mighty Mountain will tremble in the face of our united front!"

The cheers of the people echoed long into the night, the clans finally finding peace between themselves, at least for the time being. The war was over, but Lexa knew that her battle had just begun. Ice Nation would never stop in their attempts to weaken the coalition, and she knew that Queen Nia would strike at her again. Next time she would be ready.

Lexa stood alone in the war room after the generals had departed to bring the news to their own people. _"You did what none before you could do, Lexa,"_ Becca's voice sounded soft and complacent within her head. _"You brought our people together, and one step closer to lasting peace."_

"But at what cost?" Lexa asked, feeling the pain in her heart worsen with every beat. She had been born to bring peace to the world, but a world without Costia was not a world that she wanted to live in.

 _"Victory stands on the back of sacrifice,"_ Becca replied. _"A Commander's sacrifices never end. We do what we must to survive. We do what we must to save our people."_

Lexa felt tears burning in her eyes. "I could save everyone but the person that mattered most to me," she whispered.

_"To be Commander—”_

"Is to be alone. I know."

_"One day you will owe nothing more to your people, Lexa. But for now, take comfort in knowing that death is not the end."_

"Heda," Titus's voice came from behind her, interrupting the conversation that had been going on in her head.

"Have you come to lecture me, Fleimkappa? To tell me that I should have listened to you?" she asked.

She felt his hand slide over her shoulder, strong and warm, bringing her what little comfort he had to offer. "I came to see how you were doing. I know that allowing Azgeda into the coalition was not easy for you."

"Killing them all would not have brought Costia back, nor would declaring war. The Ice Queen aimed to destroy my coalition by playing on my weakness, and without your guidance, I fear she would have succeeded," Lexa admitted.

"Sometimes my guidance is not always right," Titus replied.

Lexa turned to him and watched the tears fall from his eyes. "Love is weakness," Lexa whispered, feeling her heart harden within her chest. "To be Commander is to be alone."

"You don't know how badly I wish that wasn't true," the Flame Keeper said. He gave her shoulder one last squeeze before turning to leave.

Lexa stood there alone again, letting her tears fall quietly to the ground. She thought about the night before, replaying in her mind the last kiss that she and Costia had ever shared. 'One more day' they had said to each other. Well, one more day had passed, everything that she'd been trying to accomplish had been achieved, the twelve clans had been united, and yet Lexa found herself wishing that she could go back. She wished she could tell Costia that she loved her one last time, but she knew that could never be.

"May we meet again," she whispered instead.


	30. Four Years Later

Lexa stood out on the balcony of the throne room overlooking Polis in the bright light of the morning. The city had grown and it sprawled for miles as far as the eye could see. Four years to the day had passed since the day she had united the clans, and four years later, twelve clans remained within her coalition. The battle with the Mountain Men had been ongoing, and for every Reaper they killed, it seemed like two more were made in its place. Lexa feared that was a war that they could never win.

As fragile as the coalition had been, she'd managed to keep the peace. Her people lived together, side by side, and together they had begun to mend what was left of humanity. They had established trade routes between clans, ensuring that every village was provided for. The children that trained to be warriors did so knowing that they would fight the enemy and not their brothers and sisters. The world, which had once been so damaged and so broken, seemed to be healing.

The only thing that hadn't healed was Lexa's heart. For that for the first year after Costia's death, she was unable to sleep at night without seeing her face. She could hardly eat, she rarely slept, and she found herself drowning within her pain and self-loathing. The only solace she found was in the teachings of her Flame Keeper, and she was finally able to recognize what her love for Costia had really been: weakness. It was harsh, but it was how she survived, and eventually got over the grief and pain of her loss.

Glancing out over her city, she also remembered what it felt like to love, and for the briefest moment wished that she might feel it again, pulling at her like a whisper on the wind. A loud boom echoed in the distance, and a flash of light bolted across the horizon. Something was falling out of the sky; it blazed with fire as it shot down from space, and then large canvases deployed behind it, letting it float safely to the ground.

"Heda?" Aden asked from behind her. "What was that?"

"Sky people," Lexa whispered.


End file.
